1001Bob Willoughby (American, 1927-2009). "Elisabeth Frink, Sculptress in her Chelsea, London Studio - 1956" - silver gelatin print, printed January 12, 1978, signed, numbered & annotated. An important photograph of British sculptor Elisabeth Frink in her Chelsea, London studio by American photographer Bob Willoughby. In the photo, Frink stands in profile, turned to her right. On the wall behind her are several sketches (presumably studies for sculptures), a wonderful painted handprint, a rendering of a mesmerizing visage staring out at the viewer as well as a postcard depicting a trio of Renaissance busts directly behind Frink's head, a collection of hanging frames at the center, and a large-scale painting of Christ. Elisabeth Frink and Bob Willoughby were good friends in the 1950s and admired one another's work. Not only did Bob take this special photograph of Elisabeth, he also asked her to create a bronze bust of his likeness finding Frink's work to be "powerful and important." Frink's bronze bust of Willoughby is also available in today's auction. Size: 12" L x 16" W (30.5 cm x 40.6 cm)

Bob Willoughby has been described as "Â…the man who virtually invented the photojournalistic motion picture still" by Popular Photography. A pioneer of 20th century photography, he is best known for being a "link between the filmmakers and major magazines of the time, such as Life and Look" (source: The Bob Willoughby Photo Archive website). Willoughby studied film at the University of Southern California (USC) Cinema Department and design at the Kahn Institute of Art. He also apprenticed with famous Hollywood photographers such as Paul Hesse, Glenn Embree, and Wallace Seawell. Willoughby documented a golden era of cinema, shooting on the sets of A Star is Born, The Graduate, Rosemary's Baby, My Fair Lady, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to name a few. In addition to capturing such Hollywood legends like Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, and Audrey Hepburn, Willoughby had an immense appreciation for jazz and created a wonderful series portraying jazz musicians. Furthermore, his honors were numerous and his work has been collected internationally by esteemed museums and institutions. According to the Bob Willoughby Photo Archive, "The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood honored Willoughby with a major retrospective exhibition of his work. He was awarded the Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Still Photography in New York in 2004. His photographs are in the permanent collections of The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; The National Portrait Gallery, London; The National Museum of Photography, Bradford, UK; Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Paris; The Museum of Modern Art, Film Department, New York; The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Tate Gallery Collection, London; Theatre de la Photographie et de l'Image, Nice; and Musee de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium."

Dame Elisabeth Frink discovered her love for Renaissance sculpture as a teenager when, being the daughter of an army officer, she lived in Trieste, Italy and traveled to Venice. She attended the Guildford School of Art and the Chelsea School of Art, studying under John Berger (1926-2017), Ceri Richards (1903-1971), and Julian Trevelyan (1910-1988). Frink's work came to be associated with artists Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) and Kenneth Armitage (1916-2002) who were known as The Geometry of Fear sculptors (a term coined by critic Herbert Read). "These supposedly angst-ridden artists bridged the gap between 1930s geometric idealism and post-war existentialism." Frink associated with contemporary artists Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, John Minton, and Michael Andrews in London pubs during the evenings and "held wild parties in her shared flat in Chelsea" (source: Christie's "Artist guide: Elisabeth Frink" - 14 September 2020). Frink's sculptures are on view throughout the world. These include her famous "Warhorse" at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire as well as "Eagle" which was commissioned as a lectern for Coventry Cathedral.

Please note: According to the Bob Willoughby Photo Archive, only three of these photographs have ever been printed. The other two are in the permanent collections of The Tate Gallery in London and the National Portrait Gallery in London. In addition, this photograph has been shown in numerous gallery exhibitions over the years.

Bob Willoughby's photograph of Marilyn Monroe (1960) hammered for $8,893 at Binoche Renaud Giquello SARL (April 30, 2011 - lot #136) and his photo of Audrey Hepburn and Assam on the set of My Fair Lady (1963) hammered for $7,373 at Christie's London (September 27, 2017 - lot #152).

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Washington, USA collection

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#167801

Signed, numbered, and annotated in pencil by Bob Willoughby on the verso. Although numbered 2/200, according to the Bob Willoughby Photo Archive, only 3 of these photographs have ever been printed. The photograph has been exhibited before and shows some wear, however the image is still vivid and strong. There is also a Bob Willoughby copyright stamp on the verso.