Parkinson: Unfailingly chic images

Norman Parkinson‘s career lasted over fifty years and he is considered one of the greats of fashion photography; creating images for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar as well as snapping supermodels, celebrities and royalty. His images are achingly glamorous and superbly composed – he is one photographer who perfected the art of capturing elegance on photographic paper. The women he photographed are always unfailingly chic, often with an air of refinement and sophisticated nonchalance. He was a man who understood women and how to photograph them, saying: “Being photographed is a whole section of a woman’s identity. She has to be admired…”

Parkinson started something of a fashion revolution, taking photography from its staid indoor studio setting out into the open and shooting models against outdoor backdrops, creating a heightened sense of drama. His career lasted from the 1930s right up until his death in 1990 and during that time he snapped stars including The Rolling Stones, Jerry Hall, Elizabeth Taylor and the Queen Mother. Parkinson himself said: “I was lucky enough to photograph an entire age.”

“Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour” is an exhibition displaying 47 images from the master photographer, bringing together original contact sheets and photographs including some previously unseen images from his archive. The show is hosted by the Galleria Carla Sozzani, which is situated above eclectic Milanese boutique 10 Corso Como and is a space dedicated to photography – previous exhibitions have featured other great fashion snappers including Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber and Paolo Roversi. This show however, introduces a hint of the original Cool Britannia into the Italian fashion capital.

Until January 17th 2010.

If you can’t make it to the exhibition, Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour by Louise Baring has been published to accompany the show.

www.galleriacarlasozzani.org