Elizabeth Taylor as CLEOPATRA 1962-1995

About the Item

CLEOPATRA A photographic color iris print with collage aspect created in December 0f 1995 “Cleopatra”, a unique art piece celebrates three Icons: Elizabeth Taylor, Bert Stern and Michael Vollbracht. These Icons of their professions capture the unfettered giddiness, extravagance, glamour, style and sophistication of the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. ELIZABETH TAYLOR: (1932-2011) She certainly needs no introduction and if she does this is not the icon for you. She remains a goddess of the silver screen and known for her tumultuous personal life of husband’s, jewelry, and Hollywood friendships. She took her stardom and used it as an advocate for making advances against the aids pandemic and the prejudices that come with the disease. She is a true star. During the remarkable making of the film Cleopatra, history was changed by a 1962/63 Cleopatra. During the overbudget and behind schedule masterpiece she sat for legendary photographer, Bert Stern in Rome Italy on January 15th, 1962. Years later she would be dressed and styled by Michael Vollbracht and support his couture collections. A close friendship resulted. BERT STERN: (1929-2013) Bert Stern began his career as a mailroom boy at Look Magazine. The launch of his career would coincide with his iconic and legendary campaign for Smirnoff Vodka in 1955. With the brilliance of that work, he became a star in the world of advertising. Editorial work followed and working for VOGUE put Bert Stern at the pinnacle of his career in the 1960’s. Sought-after by Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and the international fashion scene for decades, Stern became the prototype of the fashion photographer as the embodiment of glamour- a legend himself. In 1995 Michael Vollbracht was commissioned to do this art piece and in promising to do only one, was with reluctance and hesitation, permission to use the Stern image of Taylor. Only one photo collage was executed to my knowledge. Description: Actor Elizabeth Taylor in a studio, wearing a costume intended to evoke her role in the movie "Cleopatra"; dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, with a long-sleeved micro-pleated dress with a round neckline descending to a deep V, and a gold band around her torso with a clasp shaped as a coiled snake. Her eyes are lined in dark makeup, with forked streaks accented by silver makeup at the sides of her face, and with silver and blue makeup on her eyelids and under her brow. Bert Stern is known for many artistic achievements with the “Last Sitting” of Marilyn Monroe among them. MICHAEL VOLLBRACHT: (1947-2018) Like the other two involved within this art, Michael Vollbracht had an equally dynamic yet peripatetic life in the limelight of fashion, style of the day, his own collections and fantastic illustration for the likes of Bill Blass and Geoffrey Beane and himself. The most handsome fashion designer I ever met was also one of the most interesting: Michael Vollbracht, an artist whose creations dripped with color, glamour and wit, whether they were on fabric or canvas. In 1979 he launched his own line, which was received so well that it earned him the Coty Award the very next year. The company folded in 1985 due to Vollbracht having accepted financial backing from Johnny Carson, which was withdrawn during Carson's bitter divorce from his third wife.[2] Afterwards, Vollbracht published Nothing Sacred, a visual diary of his years in New York City and the many people he interacted with, and then moved to Florida to concentrate on his illustrations and art. In 1989, The New Yorker named him one of its top illustrators, and he would produce covers and other art for the next several years. In 1999, Vollbracht returned to the world of fashion after Bill Blass, a longtime friend and mentor, asked him to design a retrospective on Blass's work for Indiana University's art museum. The retrospective, curated by Kathleen Rowold, opened in 2002 after Blass's death. In 2003, Vollbracht returned to New York when he was invited to become head designer for Bill Blass Limited. He was the third designer to become head designer for the label. Michael VollbrachtAmerican fashion designer who has worked both under his own name, and also as headdesigner for Bill Blass Limited from 2003 until his resignation in 2007. He was also well known as an illustrator, though he considered himself first and foremost a fashion designer. Wealthy fashion-plate Ann Bass discusses her favorite designers: “I also wore these exquisite, hand-painted, silk dresses by Michael Vollbracht, who before disappearing … made extraordinary clothes — simple, streamlined, extremely modern, and decorated in a way that felt completely new.” One of his favorite actresses is Elizabeth Taylor, who liked his clothes enough to bankroll him for a time. “She’s the last great showbiz commodity. She and Mickey Mouse.” He’s not awed by her, however. The book has a funny anecdote about Taylor refusing to enter a room through a certain door because it would show off her multiple chins to the photographers gathered below. “Nothing Sacred”, is the title of his book of art-filled recollections of when he was a high-flying fashion designer and illustrator — a multitalented Icarus who scraped the sun and crashed in an era when gargoyles like Andy Warhol and Diana Vreeland ruled the earth, or at least the New York worlds of art and fashion, and the author knew them all.

Creator:
Michaele Vollbracht (Artist),Bert Stern (Photographer)
Dimensions:
Height: 53 in (134.62 cm)Width: 38.5 in (97.79 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
Style:
Other (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Acrylic,Gold Leaf,Paper,Gilt,Hand-Painted,Laminated
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1990-1999
Date of Manufacture:
December 1995
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. There is a minor mar in the gold leave of the frame in the upper left hand corner. There is no yellowing of the acrylic. Mounting is unique & beautifully executed by Gaku of Japan in 1996. Rreflective surface shows many things not in the print.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU6160238727022
View Invoice