Before social media, there was Slim Aarons. A New Yorker armed with charisma and a camera, Slim spent the mid-20th century documenting the never-before-seen lives of celebrities and socialites in their Mediterranean holiday homes and behind the scenes of Beverly Hills afterparties. His famous subjects and friends – it’s impossible to list them without name-dropping: Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe – granted him access to their rarefied social circles and posed in front of his lens without make-up artists, artificial lights or airbrushing.
RECOGNISE THIS HOME?
We thought so. Every Slim Aarons fan will recognise the 1946 Richard Neutra-designed, 3200 square foot Modernist property that featured in the photographer’s ‘Poolside Gossip’ shot. The original owner, American department store entrepreneur Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr., was no stranger to prolific design, also having owned Fallingwater, the 1935 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Pennsylvania.
Since its glory Slim Aarons days, the home has been kept in amazing condition and was listed for $25 million in October 2020, and sold in April/May 2022 for a record-breaking $13.06 million.
Reflecting on his work in the army, photographer Slim Aaron said the only beach he wanted to shoot was one with beautiful girls. This photo La Concha Beach Club was taken in Acapulco, Mexico in 1975.
(Photo: Getty Images) (Credit: Photo: Getty Images)But Slim’s day to day wasn’t always châteaus and Champagne. Born George Allen Aarons, Slim trained as a photographer in the army. His time on the battlefield gave him the opportunity to work with well-known photojournalists and a taste of life abroad, but having witnessed the horrors of war he vowed to only take pictures of “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places”. So, at the end of WWII, a young Slim headed to Rome where he worked for Life magazine, which was known for the quality of its photography.
Slim Aarons, who died in 2006, inspired a new style of celebrity photography during his 60-year career. In Civilised Snooze (pictured), he’s pictured with the Acropolis in the background.
(Photo: Getty Images) (Credit: Photo: Getty Images)It was Hollywood’s Golden Age, the economy was booming, and his large-format colour portraits soon appeared in the most prestigious publications. Snapping the likes of Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy meant summers were spent in Capri, winters in the Swiss Alps. The combination of great genes and glamorous locations made for iconic images that still inspire photographers and fashion magazines today, and unsurprisingly, continue to trend on social media feeds.
His jet-setting career took off in 1948 at Life magazine. Slim also worked for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Town & Country and Vogue. Pictured is his photograph of sunbathers in Capri.
(Photo: Getty Images) (Credit: Photo: Getty Images)SLIM AARONS’ PRINTS
Slim Aarons’ prints are still highly sought after today, thanks to the resurgence of Palm Springs and mid-century modern architecture and interior design. If you’re looking to buy a print for your home, here are some reputable retailers:
FRAMING TO A T
Framing To a T are Melbourne’s largest stockists of Slim Aarons photographic prints, owned and housed by Getty images. Specialising in quality conservation custom framing, custom made mirrors, and TV-mirrors, Framing To a T prints and products are designed and manufactured in Melbourne. Delivery is available Australia-wide.
Slim Aarons Kaufmann Desert House print, from $510, Framing A to T
(Photo: Armelle Habib | Styling: Julia Green) (Credit: Photo: Armelle Habib | Styling: Julia Green)FINEPRINT co
Fineprint Co has exclusive access to the entire collection of original Slim Aarons negatives held in the archives at Getty Images.
The original black and white negatives and colour transparencies are individually tested and printed in the Getty Images Archive darkroom on professional grade resin paper or as Colour C-Type Prints, offering a truer representation of the original image in both colour matching and definition. All Slim Aarons prints comes with a certificate of Authenticity.
Positano Beach 3 by Slim Aarons, from $510, Fineprint Co
AT HOME STYLE
AT Home Style stocks Slim Aarons’ full collection of photography and prints, available to buy online. All prints come certified and are printed off original negatives in London.
Slim Aarons “Nelda & Friends” 1970, from $970, At Home Style
LIFE INTERIORS
Life Interiors stocks a select range of premium quality photographic prints from the Slim Aarons archive, owned and housed by Getty Images. Choose from a variety of sizes and framed or unframed prints.
Social Call Print by Slim Aarons, from $510, Life Interiors
