He laid in bed with Marilyn Monroe and played cards with Brigitte Bardot. Through the lens of his camera, Douglas Kirkland captured the intimate and authentic personalities of many glamorous Hollywood celebrities, spanning an impressive career of six decades. Now, in the special exhibition, A Life in Pictures at the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, his award-winning photographs will be on display to celebrate his legacy. From January 20th through February 24th, visitors can once again be transported to the golden age of Hollywood as told through the eyes of someone who knew it best.
Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, and many more. Douglas Kirkland didn’t just photograph these faces, he knew them. His iconic photography captured the real essence of his subjects, the joy, vulnerability, and introspection of each mind in front of the lens. This is what makes his photography so revolutionary, he had the ability to capture magical moments from these seemingly untouchable figures.
Starting from his early career, the exhibition includes an array of his famous photographs. Kirkland first studied at the New York Institute of Photography before moving to Canada to work as a commercial photographer. From there, his first big job was as an assistant to the renowned fashion photographer, Irving Penn in 1957. He would then go on to work for Look Magazine and Life Magazine, where he made his break as a celebrity photographer by capturing Elizabeth Taylor for the Life Magazine cover in 1961.
Kirkland’s exhibition is a celebration of his life and the many others he touched throughout his career. From his retrospective and revolutionary photography, his career as an artist will forever stand the testaments of time, acting as a reminder of history’s many unforgettable personalities.
Marilyn Monroe (Laying down, Horizontal), 1961 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.
Charlie Chaplin with Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando, “A Countess from Hong Kong”, Pinewood Studios, London, 1966 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.
Mademoiselle Chanel, creating designs for the upcoming August collections, 1962 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.
Dennis Hopper in Taos, New Mexico, 1970 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.
Judy Garland with director Stanley Kramer on the way to the premiere of “Judgment at Nuremberg”, Berlin, 1961 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.
Meryl Streep and Robert Redford on set of “Out of Africa”, 1985 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.
Sigourney Weaver, Tail O the Pup Taking West Hollywood By Storm, Los Angeles Magazine, 1979 © Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles.