GarboForever - Garbo Portraits

Introduction
Beaton was one of the most important photographers of the last century. The Royal Family, famous celebrities, writers, singers, painters and statesmen were shot by Beaton. He met Garbo for the first time in the early 1930s but not until the mid 1940s they started a close friendship and an rumoured affair.

Beaton made pictures of Garbo from 1946 to 1966. The complete archive of the photographs of Cecil Beaton is now copyrighted to Sotheby's. Read more about Cecil and Garbo HERE!

All pictures are copyrighted by: 'The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's'

April,1946 – Hotel Plaza, New York

The first photo-session
On April, 1946 in New York's Hotel Plaza, Garbo and Beaton made their first photo-session together.

Cecil Beaton writes in his diary:
Garbo arrived wearing a biscuit-colored suit and polo-collared sweater, her hair's a lion's mane. At first she stood stiffly to attention, facing my rolleiflex full face as if it were a firing squad. But, by degress, she started to assume all sorts of poses and many changes of mood. The artist in her suddenly came into flower. She was enjoying the return to an aspect of the métier that had been her life's work. Could I believe my luck? By degrees I was emboldened enough to ask if she would take off her habitual sweater.

Then I brought out some 'prop' clothes – a pierrot's ruff and white pointed cap – that I had secreted just in case... Greta became Debureau. A man's top hat was discarded on sight, though a Holbein tam-o'-shanter was approved once it was bashed into a Chinese mandarin's hat.

Every now and again Greta was saying: 'That's enough now – got to go.' But by the time I took her word as gospel a vast number of pictures had been made. The result formed a prized collection.

Source: Barry Paris – Garbo (1994)

March,1948 – Los Angeles

On top of their love-story. Garbo invites Beaton to her house in Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills. Beaton took pics of Garbo doing gardening in her house. Greta was dressed in boots & trousers.

January/April, 1950 - New York

Garbo is photographed by Beaton with a cigarette and a cup of tea.

October/November, 1951 - England

Garbo visited Beaton in England for the first time. She is photographed in Salisbury and in Beaton's mansion at Reddish House in Broadchalke/ England.

November, 1960 - England

Again, those photographs were made in his house. They also made pictures in the Salisbury Cathedral (England).

by Ruth Harriet Louise

by Clarence Sinclair Bull

by George Hoyningen-Huene

by Anthony Beauchamp

	Garbo Portraits
	by Arnold Genthe
	by Ruth Harriet Louise
	by Edward Steichen
	by George Hurrell
	by Nickolas Murray
	by J. E. Jonsson
	by Clarence Sinclair Bull
	by Cecil Beaton
	by George Hoyningen-Huene
	by Anthony Beauchamp