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Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

American, 1916-2006

American photographer Slim Aarons captured the 20th century’s international jet set — U.S. socialites, European royalty, Hollywood stars — at play in sun-kissed locales like Monaco, Saint-Tropez and Palm Beach, as well as other luxurious settings around the globe.

Committed to eschewing makeup and artificial lighting, Aarons created images that are at once candid and polished, combining the relaxed posture of his subjects, who trusted him to document their lives, with the visual sharpness of a seasoned art director. Having gotten his start taking pictures for the U.S. military magazine Yank during World War II, he contributed over the course of his career to Life, Town and Country and Holiday magazines and published several books.

Aarons was born in Manhattan in 1916. He joined the army at 18, shooting military maneuvers at West Point before serving as a combat photographer, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. After the war, he moved to California and began snapping socialites and movie stars. In the 1950s, he opened a bureau for Life magazine in Rome, where he took pictures capturing the postwar scene. Aarons was always able to win the trust of his elite subjects, who saw him as close to a peer, rather than a paparazzo. In a 2002 interview with The Independent, he remarked, ''I knew everyone. They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them.'' This access allowed Aarons to document the rich and famous with their guard down, reading newspapers and magazines, talking on the phone, relaxing by the pool, and chatting with friends. The 1957 photograph The Kings of Hollywood, for example, which won him wide acclaim, shows Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart laughing together as they celebrate New Year’s Eve.

Many of Aarons’s best-known images involve games and sports. In the 1972 Poolside Backgammon, two young women play the board game of the title against the backdrop of a majestic Acapulco estate. In 1958’s Cannes Watersports, a couple attempts to glide across the Golfe de la Napoule on Jet Skis, one expertly and one hanging on for dear life. And in Penthouse Pool, shot in Athens in 1961, a young woman wearing a yellow bathing cap smiles coyly at the camera, surrounded by friends and brightly colored seat cushions, with the Acropolis faintly visible in the background. Among Aarons’s books are 1974’s A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life, and its 2003 sequel, Once Upon a Time. His final book, A Place in the Sun, was published in 2005, one year before his death.

Find a collection of vintage Slim Aarons photography on 1stDibs.

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Artist: Slim Aarons
Poolside Backgammon by Slim Aarons (Nude Photography, Portrait Photography)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
For a limited time only these Slim Aarons prints are available to purchase at 15% discount. Please contact the gallery for any queries. Please bear in mind that all prints are produ...
Category

20th Century American Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Winter in Gstaad by Slim Aarons (Landscape Photography, Winter Photography)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
For a limited time only these Slim Aarons prints are available to purchase at 15% discount. Please contact the gallery for any queries. Please bear in mind that all prints are produ...
Category

20th Century American Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Pool on the Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A view of the seaside pool at the Hotel St. Caterina, Amalfi, Italy, September 1984 Experience the timeless allure of the Amalfi Coast with Slim Aarons' captivating photograph, "Pool on the Amalfi Coast...
Category

1980s Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

Pool on the Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A view of the seaside pool at the Hotel St. Caterina, Amalfi, Italy, September 1984 Slim Aarons Pool on the Amalfi Coast Slim Aarons Estate E...
Category

1980s Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

New England Skiing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A skier carrying his boots in New Hampshire, 1955. New England Skiing Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped b...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

Funk in Tuscany, Slim Aarons - Portrait Photography, Still-life Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
For a limited time only these Slim Aarons prints are available to purchase at 15% discount. Please contact the gallery for any queries. Please bear ...
Category

20th Century Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital

Skiers at Gstaad, Slim Aarons - Still-life Photography, Landscape Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Please bear in mind that all prints are produced to order. Lead times are expected between 15-20 days. Currency fluctuations may cause the price to change. This is a contemporary pr...
Category

20th Century American Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital

French Polo Crowd
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A group of spectators at a polo match, France, circa 1950. Slim Aarons French Polo Crowd Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaro...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

French Polo Crowd
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A group of spectators at a polo match, France, circa 1950. Slim Aarons French Polo Crowd Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaro...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Emulsion, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

New England Skiing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A skier carrying his boots in New Hampshire, 1955. New England Skiing Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate. Certific...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

New England Skiing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A skier carrying his boots in New Hampshire, 1955. New England Skiing Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped b...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Emulsion, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

The Carlton Hotel
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Cadillac with Florida plates parked outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, France, circa 1955. The Carlton Hotel Black and White Photography Slim Aarons E...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

The Carlton Hotel
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Cadillac with Florida plates parked outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, France, circa 1955. The Carlton Hotel Black and White Photography Slim Aarons E...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Emulsion, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

French Polo Crowd
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A group of spectators at a polo match, France, circa 1950. Slim Aarons French Polo Crowd Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaro...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

The Carlton Hotel
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Cadillac with Florida plates parked outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, France, circa 1955. The Carlton Hotel Black and White Photography Slim Aarons E...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

New England Skiing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A skier carrying his boots in New Hampshire, 1955. New England Skiing Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate. Certific...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

French Polo Crowd
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A group of spectators at a polo match, France, circa 1950. Slim Aarons French Polo Crowd Black and White Photography Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaro...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

The Carlton Hotel
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Cadillac with Florida plates parked outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, France, circa 1955. The Carlton Hotel Black and White Photography Slim Aarons E...
Category

1950s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram

Pool on the Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A view of the seaside pool at the Hotel St. Caterina, Amalfi, Italy, September 1984 Experience the timeless allure of the Amalfi Coast with Slim Aarons' captivating photograph, "Pool on the Amalfi Coast...
Category

1980s Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

Pool on the Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A view of the seaside pool at the Hotel St. Caterina, Amalfi, Italy, September 1984 Experience the timeless allure of the Amalfi Coast with Slim Aarons' captivating photograph, "Pool on the Amalfi Coast...
Category

1980s Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

Bahamas Signpost, Estate Edition (Nassau, Rum Cay, Andros, Abaco, Bimini, Exuma)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A signpost in Nassau points the way to Rum Cay, Andros, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Eleuthera, Exuma and the Current, May 1964. Slim Aarons Bahamas Signpost Chromogenic Lambda print Slim Aarons Estate Edition Printed Later Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. 40 x 30 inches $3350 30 x 20 inches $3000 20 x 16 inches $2500 Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * We are pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Internal: Rum Cay, Andros, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Eleuthera, Exuma and the Current, vintage Bahamas...
Category

1960s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons - Milan Cathedral 1960 - Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Milan Cathedral 1960 Slim Aarons Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print The duomo or cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo, Milan, 1960. Produced from the original transparency Certifi...
Category

1960s Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

C Print

Hotel du Cap Eden Roc by Slim Aarons (Landscape photography)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
For a limited time only these Slim Aarons prints are available to purchase at 15% discount. Please contact the gallery for any queries. Please bear in mind that all prints are produ...
Category

20th Century American Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color

Slim Aarons - Milan Cathedral - Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Slim Aarons - Milan Cathedral - Estate Stamped Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print (edition size 1/150). The duomo or cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo, Milan, 1960. This photogr...
Category

1960s Modern Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

C Print

Mrs. Leland Hayward, 'The Jansen Shop', New York City, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1964, Mrs Leland Hayward, better known as Pamela Churchill Harriman, who later became US Ambassador to France, at her antiques shop 'The Jansen Shop', New York City. Complimentary d...
Category

1960s American Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons 'Pool on the Amalfi Coast' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A view of the seaside pool at the Hotel St. Caterina, Amalfi, Italy, September 1984. Slim Aarons Pool on the Amalfi Coast Chromogenic Lambda ...
Category

1980s Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

Slim Aarons 'Hang Gliding' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Hang gliding in Kitzbuhel, Austria, 1980 Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate. Chromogenic ...
Category

1970s Realist Slim Aarons Still-life Photography

Materials

Lambda

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Slim Aarons still-life photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Slim Aarons still-life photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of still-life photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Slim Aarons in digital print, paper, photographic paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Slim Aarons still-life photography, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Slim Aarons still-life photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,320 and tops out at $4,900, while the average work can sell for $3,000.

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