Ormond Gigli3 Matadors, Seville (1952)1952
1952
About the Item
- Creator:Ormond Gigli (1925, American)
- Creation Year:1952
- Dimensions:Height: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Lenox, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1801211467982
Ormond Gigli
Ormond Gigli (1925–2019) was a highly regarded American photojournalist, best known for his breathtaking portraiture and surreal fashion photography. With a career spanning over four decades, Gigli's visual narratives appeared in prominent international publications such as TIME, LIFE, Paris Match, and Colliers.
Gigli began his journey in the 1950s, gaining recognition for his captivating photographs of theater, film, and dance. His subjects were a medley of cultural icons — Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Anita Ekberg, Marcel Duchamp, Willem de Kooning, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, Richard Burton, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and many more.
Gigli’s approach to portraiture was as much about his technical prowess and compositional elegance as it was about his ability to elicit his subject's spirit and character, a skill that would mark him as one of the luminaries of his time, akin to contemporaries such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Diane Arbus.
Yet, the pièce de résistance of Gigli's illustrious career is the iconic photograph known as Girls in the Windows, taken in 1960. This masterwork exemplifies Gigli's innovative vision and ability to transform the everyday into a tableau vivant of unparalleled aesthetic appeal. The image depicts 43 women poised in the windows of a New York City brownstone, exuding an ephemeral vibrancy that captures the essence of 1960s fashion and art photography.
Born in New York City in 1925, Gigli's passion for photography blossomed when he received his first camera from his father. After graduating from the School of Modern Photography in 1942, he served as a Navy photographer during World War II. Post-war, Gigli lived the bohemian life in Paris, before returning to New York where his career took off in 1952 after a series of celebrity portraits for LIFE magazine.
Gigli's modus operandi for Girls in the Windows was to immortalize the beauty of the soon-to-be-demolished buildings opposite his East 58th Street studio. Within the constraints of a two-hour window, Gigli meticulously arranged models, some of whom volunteered from an agency, some friends, and others being his wife and the demolition supervisor's wife. The final result was a symphony of color, form, and life, beautifully encapsulated within the frames of the brownstone windows.
Gigli recalled in an interview with TIME magazine: "What had seemed to some as too dangerous or difficult to accomplish, became my fantasy fulfilled, and my most memorable self-assigned photograph. It has been an international award winner ever since. Most professional photographers dream of having one signature picture they are known for. Girls in the Windows is mine."
Today, Girls in the Windows stands as a testament to Gigli's creativity and daring. As vibrant and evocative as it was in 1960, the photograph continues to resonate, its allure undiminished by the passage of time. Much like the timeless works of his contemporaries, Gigli's photograph is an ode to the beauty of everyday life, captured in a moment of extraordinary serendipity.
Shop authentic Ormond Gigli photography and prints on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by International Fine Arts Consortium — IFAC Arts)
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Lenox, MA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Portuguese Boy, PortugalBy Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Portuguese Boy, Portugal (1952) Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Printed by Artist 11 3/4" x 8 1/2" Unique: $3000 Signature: Hand-signed by artist, signed en verso Provena...Category
Mid-20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Girl with Oxen, PortugalBy Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Silver Gelatin Print 27.25" x 23.5" Unique: $5400 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York Cit...Category
Mid-20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- NeffBy Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Neff, 1954 Gelatin Silver Print 13.5" x 10.5" Unique: $6500 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born Ne...Category
Mid-20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Old Woman, Portugal, NazareBy Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Old Woman, Portugal, Nazare (1952) Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Printed by Artist 27.25 x 23.25 Unique: $4900 Signature: Signed en verso Prove...Category
Mid-20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Little Girl on the Beach, Portugal (1952)By Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Silver Gelatin Print 25.5" x 22.5" Unique: $5400 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York City, 1925 Ormond Gigli became famous early on during the 1950s for his photographs of theatre, celebrities, dance, exotic persons & places. His work appeared prominently on covers & editorial pages of LIFE, TIME, PARIS MATCH, SATURDAY EVENING POST, COLLIERS, and other major international publications. Gigli's groundbreaking portraits include Sophia Loren (at age 21), Anita Ekberg, Marcel Duchamp, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Gina Lollobrigida, Diana Vreeland, Giancarlo Giannini...Category
Mid-20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Dancing Gypsy, Seville, Spain (1952)By Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Dancing Gypsy, Seville, Spain (1952) Silver Gelatin Print 27.25" x 21" Unique: $6900 Provenance: From the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York City, 1925 Ormond Gigli became famous early on during the 1950s for his photographs of theatre, celebrities, dance, exotic persons & places. His work appeared prominently on covers & editorial pages of LIFE, TIME, PARIS MATCH, SATURDAY EVENING POST, COLLIERS, and other major international publications. Gigli's groundbreaking portraits include Sophia Loren (at age 21), Anita Ekberg, Marcel Duchamp, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Gina Lollobrigida, Diana Vreeland, Giancarlo Giannini...Category
Mid-20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Woman on Bus, Washington Protest, African-American Civil Rights PhotographyBy Leonard FreedLocated in New york, NYWoman on Bus, from the March on Washington, 1963 (printed later) by Leonard Freed, is a 11" x 14" gelatin silver print, signed and stamped on verso (back of photo) by the estate, Brigitte Freed (wife of the photographer). The photo is from Leonard Freed's series This Is the Day: The March on Washington and is on p. 81 of the book (Getty Museum, 2013). American photographer Leonard Freed enjoyed documentary storytelling and was a "concerned photographer" whose work demonstrated humanitarian concerns. Provenance: Freed archive. *** Artist’s Bio: Leonard Freed (1929-2006) was an American photographer from Brooklyn, New York. His "Black in White America" series made him known as a documentarian, a social documentary photographer. Freed worked as a freelance photographer from 1961 onwards and as a Magnum photographer Freed traveled widely abroad and, in the US, photographing African Americans (1964-65), events in Israel (1967-68, 1973), and the New York City police department (1972-79). Freed's coverage of the American civil rights...Category
1960s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
- QuerelleBy Andy WarholLocated in Santa Monica, CAThis work is unique. Work comes with a Certificate of Provenance. Stamped on the verso by the Estate of the Artist and The Andy Warhol Foundation ...Category
1980s Pop Art Portrait Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- How to Marry a MillionaireBy Frank WorthLocated in New York, NYCreated by Frank Worth in 1953, this absolutely stunning and glamorous image of Marilyn Monroe on the set of How to Marry a Millionaire is a...Category
20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Charlie WattsBy Andy WarholLocated in Santa Monica, CAThis is a unique work. Stamped on verso by The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Annotated with Foundation inventory number and initialed Tim ...Category
Late 20th Century Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- New York (three kids with masks)By Helen LevittLocated in New York, NY8 1/8 x 11 inch gelatin silver print, printed later. Titled and dated by the artist on verso as "N.Y. circa 1942." Helen Levitt was a true master of the street, one whose poetic vis...Category
1940s Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Elizabeth (“Pussy”) Paepcke, Aspen, ColoradoBy Andy WarholLocated in Santa Monica, CAThis is a unique work. Stamped on verso by The Estate of Andy Warhol and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Annotated with Foundation inventory number and initialed Tim ...Category
1980s Pop Art Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin