Glamour Of The Gods: Exhibition Relives Glory Of Hollywood Icons Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 27/06/11 11:22   Updated: 22/08/11 11:12

Names like Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant never fail to conjure up wonderful images of glamorous Hollywood days gone by - the days when film studios exercised an extraordinary level of control over the image of the stars they represented.

A little piece of this classic Hollywood era is now coming to London. Nearly 70 vintage photographs spanning 40 years of Hollywood history will be displayed in the National Portrait Gallery and the new exhibition, which opens on July 7, will examine the importance of photography in creating the stars of Hollywood from 1920 to 1960.

The stars catapulted on to our screens during this time rarely seemed anything less than enchanting and inaccessible. They were imbued with mystique.

Because they were snapped by photographers employed by the studios to shoot and oversee the star portraits their glamorous image has remained enshrined in history right up until today.

Take an exclusive first look at 12 portraits from the exhibition below…

Elizabeth Taylor
1 of 13
Elizabeth Taylor for Suddenly Last Summer in 1959, attributed to Ken Danvers.
Total comments: 10 | Post a Comment
1 of 13
This Hollwood Star
I'm not a fan
Super Hollywood icon

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

  • 5

  • 6

  • 7

  • 8

  • 9

  • 10
Current Top 5 Slides
Users who voted on this slide
loading...


Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits, Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation will run at the National Portrait Gallery, London from 7 July – 23 October 2011. www.npg.org.uk/glamour

FOLLOW HUFFPOST UK ENTERTAINMENT

Names like Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant never fail to conjure up wonderful images of glamorous Hollywood days gone by - the days when film studios exercised an extraordinary level of cont...
Names like Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant never fail to conjure up wonderful images of glamorous Hollywood days gone by - the days when film studios exercised an extraordinary level of cont...
 
 
  • Comments
  • 10
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
14:11 on 18/08/2011
Liz Taylor was a good looker in her day.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
katielady
22:42 on 26/07/2011
I saw most of the movies Elizabeth Taylor made. This was before all the surgical and cosmetic tweaking actress routinely do. She was simply one of the most beautiful women ever on film. Grace Kelly is second ... Audrey Hepburn, Halle Berry, Selma Hayak, Dorothy Dandridge and Hedy Lamarr should be included. Intelligence is the key to the beauty we see. Cary Grant is unequaled for looks and grace. Bobby Darin, Vince Edwards, Laurence Fishburn and so many others.. should have been more guys in the gallery...
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
katielady
22:46 on 26/07/2011
I forgot Catherine Deneuve and Ingrid Bergman, Al Pacino, Ed Norton.. notice how unique and individual they look.. no copy cat looks.
22:16 on 06/07/2011
My taste goes to the large format (8 x 10) glass plate negatives with the aspherical (Soft
focus) lens and a depth of field that is measured in fractions of the inch. It is a technique that is nearly extinct. And for me it is the best approach to capturing the ethereal projections we
have placed upon these icons.
This comment has been removed.
18:54 on 06/07/2011
Wow, 1940's and 50's, D-Listers, Ronald Reagan and Joan Collins, in the same group as the former Grace Kelly, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cary Grant?

Seriously?! C'mon, HuffPo, you can do better than that. I have nothing against Miss Collins, or America's bizare former Commander & Chief, but as Hollywood Icons go, they are out of their League.

Perhaps you could have included Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniels, Gregory Peck, W.C.Fields, Mae West, Gary Cooper ~ ~~
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Steamboater
Forget hope. Agitate.
17:13 on 06/07/2011
Great pic of Marlene Dietrich but that pic of Rita Hayworth--terrible. Why not Hayworth as Gilda or any pic of her with that luxurious red mane of hair? Liz Taylor looks super and she had a waist too.
07:48 on 07/07/2011
The pictures in the slideshow are from the National Portrait Gallery Exhibition - these are the ones on show, not our choices.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sydneymoon
Dismiss what insults your own soul - WW
13:35 on 06/07/2011
Many beautiful photos.
I particularly like the composition of Marilyn Monroe's photo.