Summary

George Hurrell (1904–1992) was the creator of the Hollywood glamour portrait, the maverick artist who captured movie stars of the most exalted era in Hollywood history with bold contrast and seductive poses. This lavishly illustrated book spans Hurrell’s entire career, from his beginnings as a society photographer to his finale as the celebrity photographer who was himself a celebrity, and a living legend. From 1929 to 1944 Hurrell was the “Rembrandt of Hollywood,” creating portraits of Marlene Dietrich, Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, and Joan Crawford that were a blend of the ethereal and the erotic. His photos of Jane Russell sulking in a haystack made the unknown girl a star—without a film credit to her name. He immortalized leading male stars of the day from the Barrymore’s to Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. Latter photo shoots magnified the glamour of the likes of Warren Beatty and Sharon Stone. Through newly acquired photos and in-depth research, photographer and historian Mark A. Vieira, author of Hurrell’s Hollywood Portraits, offers not only a wealth of new images but a compelling sequel to the story presented in his earlier book on Hurrell. Hurrell was himself a star—rich, famous, successful. Then, at the height of his career, he suffered a vertiginous fall from grace. George Hurrell’s Hollywood recounts, for the first time anywhere, Hurrell’s rise from the ashes—how movie-still collectors and art dealers pulled the elderly artist into a nefarious world of theft and fraud; how his undiminished powers gave him a second career; and how his mercurial nature nearly destroyed it. The photographs that motivate this tale are luminous, powerful, and timeless. This book showcases more than four hundred, most of which have not been published since they were created. George Hurrell’s Hollywood is the ultimate work on this trailblazing artist, a fabulous montage of fact and anecdote, light and shadow.

Contributor Bio

Mark A. Vieira is a writer, historian, and photographer with over forty years of experience working in Hollywood. He makes portraits using the George Hurrell technique. Mark has lectured at USC, UCLA, Lincoln Center, Universal Studios, the Hollywood Heritage Museum, and the Palm Springs Film Festival. He has appeared in documentaries such as TCM’s Moguls and Movie Stars and Playboy’s Sex at 24 Frames Per Second. Mark is also the author of several books, including The Making of Some Like It Hot (with Tony Curtis), Greta Garbo: A Cinematic Legacy, and Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Running Press
• Non Fiction
• Photography
• 400 black & white photos throughout