Cecil BeatonEnglish, 1904–1980Giorgio de Chirico
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
New York, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- Source
- The museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 273.1982
In the catalog
Sources
- The Museum of Modern Art
- Image: The Museum of Modern Art — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of Cecil Beaton
The whole life1922–1974
Diaries, 1922–1974
Six volumes of his diaries, spanning the years 1922–1974, are published in his lifetime. According to Hugo Vickers, who edited a fuller edition, opinions in the published volumes are softened, whereas in the originals Beaton can be truly venomous.
1930–1945
Leases Ashcombe House in Wiltshire
At the country estate of Ashcombe House he entertains many notable figures and develops his theatrical style of interior decoration.
3 June 1937
Wedding portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor
He takes the official wedding photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at relatively short notice; Wallis Simpson is marrying the former King Edward VIII.
late 1930s
Begins a long association with the royal household
From the late 1930s he photographs Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), his favourite royal sitter, and later Elizabeth II, over several decades. After one successful sitting he even kept the Queen Mother’s scented handkerchief as a memento.
1938
Scandal at American Vogue and dismissal
He inserts small but legible anti-Semitic phrases into an illustration about New York society in American Vogue; the issue is recalled and reprinted, and Beaton is dismissed from the magazine.
