This August, we’re chasing the sunshine, and celebrating the work of iconic photographer, Slim Aarons.
Enter Gallery are fortunate to be one of the few UK galleries to enjoy full access to Getty’s archive of Aarons’ work. We’re delighted to be able to offer our clients an incredible 15% off Slim Aarons prints, as well as an additional 20% off framing for the duration of August.
For those yet to discover the glamorous world of Slim Aarons, allow us to introduce you to this influential American photographer. Known for capturing post-war affluence in the United States and beyond, Slim’s distinctive portraits of royalty, aristocrats, business icons and socialites have graced the pages of prestigious publications including, Life, Town and Country, Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar.
In today’s blog, we’re taking a deep dive into the gorgeous azure waters of Slim Aarons’ illustrious career to understand the experiences and opportunities that shaped him into one of history’s most iconic photographers. Or as he likes to say…
“I don’t call myself a photographer. I’m a storyteller.”
Slim Aarons
Introducing Slim
Born George Allen Aarons in 1916 in New York City, it was Aarons’ 6’4 lanky frame that soon earned him the affectionate nickname, Slim.
Slim in Hawaii, 1955
Over the course of a career that lasted half a century, Aarons gained unprecedented access into the lives of the ‘cultural elite’. Armed with just a camera and bags of charisma, his photography captured a golden age of wealth and privilege that stood in stark contrast to the political backdrop of the latter half of the 20th Century.
Capri, Italy, September 1968. Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
A master of composition, Aarons is known for visually arresting portraits and landscapes, capturing beautiful people luxuriating in the spirit of the jet-set lifestyle.
Slim Aarons photographs captured imaginations, granting people a dose of escapism much-needed in a post-war world. Because it wasn’t always yachts and champagne for this photographer. Aarons earned his dues in entirely different circumstances…
Capturing Conflict
Slim’s career began at 18 when he enlisted in the United States army, and took up a role in the photography department of West Point Military Academy in New York. As a hydro-dipper, it was Slim’s job to develop photographs…but before long he had a camera in hand and was tasked with capturing training manoeuvres.
When the USA entered World War II in 1941, Slim was sent overseas to cover the conflict for military publication, Yank. In this role, Slim often found himself behind the wheel of a jeep, transporting acclaimed photojournalists like George Silk and Carl Mydans from Life magazine, to the front.
The cover of the April 9, 1943 issue of Yank was an Aarons photo of an exhausted U.S. Army cook based in North Africa.
This baptism of fire into the world of photojournalism saw Slim covering some of the bloodiest conflicts in Europe and North Africa, with his photographs frequently making the front cover of the magazine.
Life photographers Hank Walker and Charles Steinhern with graffiti on the wall of Hitler’s chancellery shortly after his death in 1945. Photo courtesy of Slim Aarons courtesy of Getty Images.
Eventually, Slim was wounded during the invasion of Anzio in Italy. For this, he received a Purple Heart medal, which he infamously gave away to a, ‘blonde whose name I’m can’t recall. She liked the colour.’
When WWII ended, Slim set out for California, saying that if combat had taught him anything it was that the only beach worth landing on was "decorated with beautiful, semi-nude girls tanning in a tranquil sun.”
After the intensity and horror of his years spent documenting the war, Slim was craving something entirely different. It was at this point that he made a vow that would come to define his entire career – from now on, he would only photograph “attractive people who were doing attractive things in attractive places.”
“I’d wandered through enough concentration camps and bombed-out villages. I’d slept in the mud and been shot at. I owed myself some easy, luxurious living. I wanted to be on the sunny side of the street.”
Hollywood Darling
This hunger for the good life took Slim to Hollywood. Right away, he was introduced to the glamorous world of the movies via MGM Studios in his role assisting renowned Hollywood studio photographer, Clarence Sinclair Bull.
Soon, everyone from Humphrey Bogart and Truman Capote, to Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich were charmed by this laid-back ‘bon-vivant’ with a knack for capturing flattering photos.
“They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn’t hurt them. I was one of them.”
Slim became a darling of Hollywood, making the right connections, securing invites into people’s homes and to all the star-studded parties. And people weren’t just interested in his photography talents, big name movie makers wanted to put him in their films. Apparently, Alfred Hitchcock was so taken with Aarons that he modelled Jimmy Stewart's character in Rear Window after him, even going so far as to base the character’s apartment on Slim’s own home. Alas movie stardom eluded Aarons, who failed screen test after screen test…
“All these short directors love tall guys. That’s why, the minute I came to Hollywood, everyone wanted to make an actor out of me. I can’t be anything but me! That’s the problem. That’s why I’m no good in the movies. I can’t play somebody else. You follow?”
Slim may have not been cut out for the silver screen, but he was certainly going places. Before long, he’d struck up invaluable friendships that helped him get unprecedented access to high society.
The Glossies
In the mid-1950s, Slim’s career accelerated when he landed freelance roles taking photographs for glossy magazines, including Holiday, Town and Country and Life. These roles opened yet more doors, and became instrumental in cementing the stylish trajectory of Slim’s career.
It was during these glory years that Slim turned his lens on the swanky playgrounds of Gstaad and Mallorca, Bali and Beverly Hills. From royals and moguls, to artists and socialites, anyone who was anyone was desperate to have their photograph taken by Aarons.
This high demand was because Aarons’ photos were so much more than old-fashioned portraits of rich people. He made modern rich people sexy, and created a world almost unbelievable in its elegance. Speaking of what made Aarons so unique, professional style watcher, Simon Doonan, commented:
“He extracted everything that was cool and chic about old money. He left behind all the dusty mumsiness of it and made it look incredibly crisp and stylish.”
The Slim Aarons Style
Reading about Aarons, it’s clear there were many things that led to his success. Of course, his access to the right people didn’t hurt, but it was also his unique approach to capturing his subjects that really set his work apart.
Aarons was known for his unfussy style. No matter the location, he would arrive with a single stainless steel briefcase containing his equipment, namely, a Nikon or Leica camera, his favourite lenses, a light metre and just enough Kodachrome film for the shoot. Slim wasn’t interested in flashy gear or shoots with stylists and make-up artists, instead he relied on natural light and the outfit choices of his subjects.
While his images appear nonchalant, as though snapped by pure happy coincidence, Slim was anything but casual when it came to planning his shoots. Like a true photojournalist, he would turn up several days prior, taking the streets to conduct his on-location research, which he called, ‘poking around’. Apparently, Slim never took out his camera until the third day on the job. Speaking of his approach, his daughter, Mary, reveals:
“He would go a day or so early and do his research. If it was a shoot at Piazza San Marco, he would find out when the pigeons got fed. He didn’t have stylists or lighting people – he did his own research.”
He was a journalist, a hardcore journalist, and he considered himself a journalist. His magazine spreads had big captions; the photographs told stories… they described the who and what and why.”
Environmental Portraiture
Slim Aarons is credited with developing the photographic style of ‘environmental portraiture’ where the setting is just as important as the subject. Speaking of his approach to setting the scene, his long-time assistant, Laura Hawk, explained:
“Slim had an almost childlike desire to idealise each scene. To embellish the everyday scenarios he found with his idea – his fantasy – of what their world of leisure should look like. The portraits he created tell a story, and the arrangement of the visual details are the pieces of his fiction.”
Once his research was conducted and he had found his subject, Slim’s next step upon was always to establish the perfect setting, be that a sun-drenched garden, a leafy terrace, or an elaborate ballroom.
Next, the perfect outfit would be decided based on what worked in the setting. While he famously refused to photograph anyone wearing jeans, t-shirts or trainers, Slim was also known to frown upon over-the-top outfits and make-up. His priority was to capture his subjects how they looked every day.
“I don’t do fashion. I take photos of people in their own clothes, and that becomes fashion.”
Enduring Impact
Over the course of his career, Slim Aarons took over 750,000 photographs, but his influence continues to extend beyond the realms of photography. No doubt Aarons’ meticulous eye for detail and unique combination of style, composition, colour and location will forever inspire everything from high fashion to film and music videos.
“I don’t think there’s any American designer who isn’t inspired by Slim Aarons. Whenever I see a new, blonde model, I’m like, Oh, she’s C.Z. in Palm Beach. Or: Oh, gosh, you’re thinking about new fur boots and suddenly you’re, Oh, the pictures from Stowe, Vermont . . . Virtually every collection I have is going to have a little bit of Slim in it.” Michael Kors.
Career Highlights…
When every day’s a holiday, it can be difficult to pick a favourite Slim Aarons image. However, there are a few photographs so synonymous with his name and reputation that it’s only right we dig a little deeper.
Let’s end our Slim Aarons deep dive with three of his most iconic artworks, and some fun, behind-the-scenes anecdotes about how these pieces came to be…
The Kings of Hollywood
It was on New Year’s Eve 1957 when Slim captured this image of Hollywood royalty, Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and James Stewart, at Romanoff’s in Beverly Hills.
The Smithsonian once described this photograph as 'a Mount Rushmore of stardom'.
What makes this photograph so special is that Slim was able to capture these seasoned professional actors completely at ease – and he did so via the charisma and knack for storytelling that made everyone so at home in his company.
One of Slim’s golden rules when shooting his subjects was to find out what makes them tick, and to then explore that common ground. Apparently, on this evening, Aarons was amusing the superstars with stories from his own acting career, regaling them with tales of failed auditions and screen tests.
Poolside Gossip
In 1970, Slim called up long-time friend, Nelda Linsk and told her, “I want to come over and do a pool shot. Call some friends over.” The result of this impromptu photoshoot led to one of Slim’s most instantly-recognisable works (and an all-time favourite at Enter Gallery), Poolside Gossip.
Of course, when the so-called, ‘guru of 21st century cool’ calls, you answer, and Linsk (wearing sunflower yellow) was more than happy to invite friends over for an impromptu party. In an interview with Palm Springs Magazine, she recalls:
“He [Slim Aarons] happened to be in Palm Springs and called me up one morning and said he wanted to do some swimming pool shots. I said, ‘Ok, come on over.’ He told me to call up a few of my friends. I called up Helen Dzo Dzo, of course, Lita Baron, and a couple of other friends. Slim came over about an hour later with a tripod and his camera.
There were no assistants, no make-up artists, no hair-stylist, nothing. We just put on the clothes we had in our closets. Very casual. In fact, if I’d known then what I know today, I might have dressed up a little more.”
Christmas Swim
Christmas Swim is another of Aarons' most enduring images. The photograph captures his wife, Rita, sunning herself by a pool that’s sprouting a Christmas tree, while the Hollywood sign shimmers in the background.
While the image appears impromptu, the photoshoot was precisely orchestrated by Aarons. In 2020, Vogue published an interview with Aarons’ daughter, Mary, where she revealed the truth behind the image:
“It was a hired house and hired kids, and my Mom’s big recollections were that it was a really cold, really dirty pool and that because they wanted everything to line up just right (and obviously it was her husband taking the picture), Aarons made her stay in there a really long time. She was freezing and mad. It looks idyllic now, but to get it just right in a cold and dirty pool took a while.”
Rita was a frequent muse of Aarons, with her featuring as the main subject, or in the background to add a touch of glamour. Mary reveals:
“If you look at a beach scene or a pool scene or a party, and there’s somebody in a red bathing suit or a red sweater who has their back to you, that’s probably her—there to add colour.”
On Thursday 29th August, Enter Gallery is hosting our Slim Aarons Summer Soiree. Alongside a display of Aarons’ most defining images, guests will have the chance to make the most of our Summer Sale offer of 15% off all Slim Aarons prints, plus 20% off framing which ends on August 31st.
