Maverick Photographer & Designer « The Errant Æsthete

Maverick Photographer & Designer

You’d be forgiven for thinking the disciplines of portrait photography and furniture design share little in common. But the work of one maverick individual is proof that even the most disparate of creative disciplines can come from one pair of hands.

Willy Rizzo made his name in the Sixties among Hollywood and fashion circles, shooting iconic portraits of the era’s big names that captured both the character and star quality of their sitters. Marilyn Monroe (who he famously shot at the pinnacle of her decline, just two weeks before she died) to Yves Saint-Laurent, Jack Nicholson, Marlena Dietrich, Kirk Douglas, Coco Chanel, Jane Fonda, Fred Astaire, Maria Callas and Gene Kelly all graced his lens and the resulting photographs gave Rizzo as much clout and status in the changing world of celebrity as the characters themselves.

With a string of global editorial titles on speed dial, Rizzo made the unprecedented decision to design furniture and while we obviously admire his photographic portfolio, it’s his furniture designs that are truly riveting. During the Seventies he designed several pieces of abstract modernist furniture, before giving up and returning to his photographic roots in the Eighties. It’s hence no surprise that his furniture designs have become incredibly collectible, a product of their combined rarity and the design world’s reignited passion for modernist furniture.

Paul Smith, in association with Mallett & Son Ltd is currently hosting an exhibition of Rizzo’s most celebrated portraits and furniture, for which the octogenarian Rizzo has turned his hand once again to design, creating a limited edition picture frame. In today’s climate of near blanket celebrity obsession, the exhibition serves as a nostalgic reminder of the respect then stars commanded, of which Rizzo’s own unique creativity was a key part. [SOURCE]