The Essential Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) was a man of many facets and extraordinary skill. He was a successful theatre designer, a writer, a fashion and society photographer, as well as a gardener. As a photographer, he was world-famous. The secret of his success was probably his ability to capture with his photographs a whole era, as a kind of master of ceremonies to the British Empire. Always self-assured and stylish, he depicts with his customary elegance and panache the high and low of the century: The British Royal family, the nobility, the London bohemian scene, and the New York underground. Since the Nineteen-Twenties, his work has been unique in depicting the international "Zeitgeist." Without doubt, Cecil Beaton´s photographic work is one of the most important contributions to the history of art and photography of the 20th century. This marvelous volume which offers a comprehensive and complete presentation of Beaton´s work and life will now be available again in a hardcover edition.