Ormond GigliModels in the Windows, New York City1960
1960
About the Item
- Creator:Ormond Gigli (1925, American)
- Creation Year:1960
- Dimensions:Height: 49.5 in (125.73 cm)Width: 49.5 in (125.73 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:Edition 14/75 Signed, numbered and dated in ink on recto Framing not included.
- Gallery Location:Santa Monica, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14774962
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: Santa Monica, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 30 days of delivery.
- Untitled, 402By William CouponLocated in Santa Monica, CASigned and numbered in pencil on recto.Category
1980s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Untitled, 395By William CouponLocated in Santa Monica, CASigned and numbered in pencil on recto.Category
1980s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Audrey Hepburn with FlowersBy Norman ParkinsonLocated in Santa Monica, CANorman Parkinson (1913-1990) was one of the twentieth century's best-known fashion photographers. He was active for over 50 years and was instrumental in taking portrait and fashion ...Category
1950s Color Photography
MaterialsDigital Pigment
- Frank Sinatra at a Capital Records Recording Session in Los AngelesBy Sid AveryLocated in Santa Monica, CAThough he captured many of golden-age Hollywood’s greatest stars as the public had never seen them before—Marlon Brando taking out the trash, Elizabeth Taylor sunbathing, Anthony Per...Category
1950s Color Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Audrey Hepburn with a light blue pillbox hat with bouncing feathersBy Howell ConantLocated in Santa Monica, CAEstate stamped in ink on versoCategory
1960s Color Photography
MaterialsC Print
- Untitled, 417By William CouponLocated in Santa Monica, CASigned and numbered in pencil on recto.Category
1980s Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- 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
- Spanish Surrealist Artist Salvador Dali, 17 x 17" Exhibition PhotographBy Jack MitchellLocated in Senoia, GAThis photograph of Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali was taken in Barcelona in 1966. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". Come...Category
1980s Pop Art Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Her Royal Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II In Lilac - signed limited editionLocated in London, GBHRM Queen Elizabeth II visits a new maternity ward at the Lister Hospital in 2012 in Stevenage. The Queen was on a two day tour of the East Midlands as part of her Diamond Jubilee to...Category
2010s Modern Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Fun Loving Criminals II by BATIK- Signed Limited EditionBy BATIKLocated in London, GBFun Loving Criminals II By BATIK- Signed Limited Edition Archival pigment pop art print of infamous criminal arrest mugshots of Fifty Cent, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Snoop Dog, ...Category
2010s Pop Art Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- MICHEL COMTE - Super Models for Versace, Vogue Italia, 1994By Michel ComteLocated in PARIS, FRLimited edition of 7. Sold Edition number will be communicated at the point of sale. White wood frame and plexi Supermodels" portrait of the famous 90's model all dressed in glamour...Category
1990s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Some of the Best Beatles Photos Were Taken by Paul McCartney
A trove of recently unearthed personal photos adds another dimension to the abundance of press images of the Fab Four.
Photographer Jerry Schatzberg Remembers a Legendary Shoot with Bob Dylan
The acclaimed lensman and the folk-rock phenomenon clicked, and a captivating portrait followed.