1. Clarence Sinclair Bull (1895-1979) Hedy Lamarr, MGM, c1940 Gelatin silver print
COURTESY JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION, LONDON
John Kobal knew it long before many; when he started collecting photographs from Hollywood’s golden era – the 1920s through to the 1960s – he was on to something long before they became hotly sought after.
Drawn from the John Kobal Foundation archive, the exhibition Made in Hollywood celebrates Hollywood studio portraiture from the industry’s glamorous past.
It makes its Australian debut at the Bendigo Art Gallery, which continues to draw audiences, thanks to some fabulous exhibitions secured throughout the year.
Made In Hollywood features photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Alfred Hitchcock, James Dean, Ava Gardner, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Rock Hudson and Jean Harlow, to name a few, all in their prime.
Kobal was an author and avid collector of photographs. He was born in Austria but based himself in Britain as a journalist and historian who, through a chance encounter with Marlene Dietrich in Canada in the 1950s, became interested in acquiring golden-era photographs. He was curious about the creative role of various photographers working for the major Hollywood studios and intrigued by how their images elevated these actors to god-like status.
2. Gene Kornman Rita Hayworth, 20th Century Fox, 1939 Gelatin silver print
COURTESY JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION, LONDON
Kobal wrote more than 30 books and was responsible for bringing the first Hollywood exhibition of images to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 1974. He died in 1991 and donated his collection to the John Kobal Foundation, which houses more than 200,000 photographs.
The glamour of Hollywood is elegantly captured in this exhibition – the vintage photographs show a stylish side to celebrity status, and stir nostalgia.
“John Kobal was someone who recognised the significance of these works when everybody else thought they were something to discard,” says Bendigo Art Gallery curator Leanne Fitzgibbon. “If it hadn’t been for him, many of these items would have disappeared altogether … John made these fantastic connections in his lifetime and of course he was driven by not only a fascination with Hollywood and celebrity but about how it was constructed.
3. Bud Fraker (1916-2002) Audrey Hepburn for Funny Face, Paramount Pictures, 1956 Gelatin silver print
COURTESY JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION, LONDON
“He was aware that it was smoke and mirrors sometimes, but these studio photographers, who often were under-recognised for their talent, had created this cult of celebrity around so many individuals that transformed them. Today we have Photoshop, but in the 1930s they didn’t manipulate to the extent they do today. I think that was partly because the photographers had a tremendous amount of technical skill and an ability to relate to the individuals. A number of the stars would go back to the same photographer because they loved their work and how they were being portrayed. That synergy created some of that imagery that we now have on display.”
An image of Monroe by still photographer Ernest Bachrach stands out – he snapped her sitting on a kerb looking up with a curious and pensive gaze. Bachrach took photos on film sets between the 1930s and late 1950s but not much is known of his work with Monroe; this one, however, is a beautiful image of a woman who is still talked about many years on.
4. Ernest Bachrach (1899-1973) Marilyn Monroe, RKO, 1952/2007 Platinum print from the original negative
COURTESY JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION, LONDON
Bachrach once described portraiture photography as akin to cinematography. “The cinematographer has very little need for accessories in the making of close-ups; all he needs is a face and some lights and shadows. And that is all the portrait artist needs. Occasionally – but only occasionally – minor props are useful,” he said.
The images of Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn show women of cinema at their finest. They appear larger than life, and that’s exactly what Hollywood hoped for – to create the illusion of grandeur.
» Made in Hollywood is showing at the Bendigo Art Gallery until February 12, 2012.
» www.bendigoartgallery.com.au