Perfect Frames

The 38-odd exhibits are part of the world cinema collection belonging to Magnum Photos,London,co-founded by noted French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson. These images are being exhibited for the first time in India as part of the centenary celebrations of Hollywood this year.

“The idea behind the exhibition is to put a historical perspective to the images. Most photographers who were associated with Magnum at the time had close ties with celebrities and were able to capture intimate portraits of them,” says Sophie Wright,Cultural Director,Magnum London,who has leased these prints taken by Magnum photographers to Tasveer gallery in India. Film enthusiasts can order prints of the images on display directly from Magnum during the exhibition.

Most of the photographs capture little-seen facets of Hollywood personalities. There is the famous 1962 portrait of American actress Tippi Hedren and British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock digging into a meal on the sets of The Birds,one of actor Audrey Hepburn poking her head out of a taxi in New York while shooting for Sabrina,taken in 1954 and even of Arnold Schawarzneger flexing his biceps against a black backdrop in a 1977 photo. “We had never done an exhibition celebrating cinema,and since Hollywood completed 100 years,we thought this was a good time to highlight some rare images of these stars,” says Shalini Gupta,co-owner of Tasveer.

Apart from giving a rare glimpse into the private lives of celebrities,these photographs also serve to throw light on the little-known photographers. For instance,American photographer Robert Capa’s intimate portrait of Ingrid Bergman reclining on a sofa head rest,captures his close relationship with the star. “Capa was widely regarded as a war photographer among his contemporaries. But his relationship with Bergman was well-known during the 50s. This picture shows how he flirted with the idea of being a Hollywood photographer too,” says Wright. Another image shows American photographer Eve Arnold’s semi-nude portrait series on Marilyn Monroe when she was in New York to perform for troops during World War II. “Arnold was not just a celebrity photographer but also worked widely with Human Rights activist Malcolm X documenting him during his rallies,” adds Wright.

The exhibition is on till August 23. For details call: 42664343