David Mellor

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.