Ormond GigliGirls in the Windows1960
1960
About the Item
- Creator:Ormond Gigli (1925, American)
- Creation Year:1960
- Dimensions:Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Framing:Frame IncludedFraming Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Lenox, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU180129794962
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.
- MultnohmaLocated in Lenox, MAMultnohma Rachael grew up on the south coast of England. Her first career was as a solicitor in the City of London. During the City years, Rachael's friends and colleagues were used...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- SednaLocated in Lenox, MARachael Talibart Rachael grew up on the south coast of England. Her first career was as a solicitor in the City of London. During the City years, Rachael's friends and colleagues we...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Leslie Caron, 1954By Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MALeslie Caron, 1954 Ormond Gigli US, Born 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, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Sir Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates...Category
20th Century Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Girls in the WindowsBy Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAThis artwork is hand signed and editioned by the artist and comes directly from the artist's studio. Girls in the Windows, 1960 has been widely p...Category
1960s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- 3 Matadors, Seville (1952)By Ormond GigliLocated in Lenox, MAOrmond Gigli Gelatin Silver Print 22.5" x 16" Unique: $5225 Provenance: From the artist's studio, Printed by artist Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York City, 192...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
- Untitled (Ursine #54F-44)By Jill GreenbergLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 20 x 24 inches (Edition of 10) 43 x 50 inches (Edition of 7) This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Since the great success of her monkey portraits...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Untitled (Ursine #2A-2)By Jill GreenbergLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24 x 20 inches (Edition of 10) 50 x 43 inches (Edition of 7) This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York ...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- The Doors, "Morrison Hotel" 50th Anniversary, Los Angeles, CA, 1969By Henry DiltzLocated in New York, NYA special limited edition print in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Doors iconic record "Morrison Hotel" "This was a transient hotel in Down...Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- South & Pershing Street, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signedBy Julie BlackmonLocated in Sante Fe, NMSouth & Pershing St. in a signed archival pigment ink print from Julie Blackmon's ongoing series Home Grown. “When I began taking pictures,” Blackmon says, “ I was primarily interes...Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- X-Ray, Park Avenue, New York City, Contemporary Color Photography at NightBy Roberta FinebergLocated in New york, NYFor X-Ray, New York City, 2012 by Roberta Fineberg, the artist uses long-exposure photography and light trails for the color photograph of a woman crossing Park Avenue in New York City. The image shot at night is in the photographer's Cities series. A 24" x 18", signed, titled, dated archival pigment print in an edition of 5. Provenance: RF Archive *** Artist's Bio: As a photographer and visual artist, Roberta Fineberg (RF) focuses on the themes of serendipity, inventiveness, and development of ideas for her photography, video, installations, works on paper, and painting. Drawn to experimentation, she explores diverse mediums and subjects such as the ephemeral (butterfly series), stolen moments (documentary work), play, timelessness, the enduring, and significance of matter. In July 2022, Roberta Fineberg’s Double Helix was included in a Sotheby’s auction in New York City and exhibited in the preview show Contemporary Discoveries. Selected exhibitions include: Time Gallery New York (2022), Phyllis Harriman Gallery New York studio shows (2022; 2020), CADAF online art...Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digi...
- Peppa Pig by JJK, Photography, Limited Edition, Ghana, animalLocated in Munich, DEEdition of 25 signed and numbered by the artist Peppa was the bishop's pig in Ghana. The sun shines into the stable and makes her ears light up. JJK is a pseudonym for one of the w...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment