Lifestyles of the rich and famous

There’s a rather Great Gatsby-esque quality to the sumptuous photographs by Slim Aarons, set to go on show at London’s Getty Images gallery this month.

Slim Aarons/ Getty Images
Slim Aarons/ Getty Images

The pictures in the show, entitled Slim’s Riviera, depict the high-society of Europe and America ‘at play’ – luxuriating by the pool; posing by their flashy cars, stretching their part-worn legs on gargantuan yachts.

There’s very much a voyeuristic feel to the images, showing levels of luxury most of us can only dream of, and shining a spotlight on the seemingly fantastical ‘playgrounds of the rich and famous’, as the gallery puts it.

Slim Aarons/ Getty Images
Slim Aarons/ Getty Images

Manhattan-born Aarons’ career saw him photograph for many US high-society publications, including Life, Town and Country and Holiday magazines. Among the stars he snapped were Clark Gable and James Stewart.

The exhibition shows a collection of 49 images drawn from original boxes of transparencies and negatives, many of which have never been shown in public before.

Slim Aarons/ Getty Images
Slim Aarons/ Getty Images

‘[The exhibition showcases] a truly unique take on the Riviera at a time when both European and American high-society were making it their home away from home’, says Getty Images Gallery director Louise Garczewska.

‘The access Aarons was granted and the trust gained through his work with society publications have created a fly-on-the-wall feel to this collection, allowing us to share the exuberance and glamour of the privileged at play. His intimate portrayals of the in-crowd and jet set are steeped in the personal charm and charisma that afforded Aarons such incomparable access to the highest of societies’.

Slim’s Riviera runs from 15 March ­ 10 May Getty Images Gallery, 46 Eastcastle Street, London W1W. For more information visit http://www.gettyimagesgallery.com/

 

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