Signed and editioned print by Terry O'Neill
Description
Kindly donated by Leica
Leica is delighted to donate a limited-edition print by Terry O’Neill as part of their auction contribution. This beautiful image variant of Audrey Hepburn was taken by O’Neill in St Tropez whilst Hepburn was shooting for the film ‘Two for the Road’ in 1966. It is a gelatin silver print, sized at 16x20 inches, from an edition of 50 and is signed and is numbered by Terry O’Neill in ink on the recto. The print presented in a beautiful ‘racing green’ print box and includes certificate of authentication from Terry O’Neill and Iconic Images.
The edition of 50 was printed as part of a limited edition ‘Terry O’Neill’ camera set produced by Leica and O’Neill in 2018 - with the first 35 prints from the edition paired with their respective camera edition (35 camera sets total were made). At the time, this variant had never been released and was chosen specifically to commemorate the launch of the ‘Terry O’Neill’ set.
Talking of the collaboration, Terry O'Neill describes his admiration for Leica: “I bought myself a Leica as soon as I could and they have been with me ever since. They became a reflection of what I felt. When you use a Leica, you can never go wrong.”
In the mid 1960's, Terry O'Neill found his work taking him to movie sets more frequently. It was during this time that he captured the now iconic images of Audrey Hepburn. “I really enjoyed working on the sets, it was an opportunity to work with some of the biggest stars around - I met Frank Sinatra, Roger Moore, Michael Caine, Brigitte Bardot and so on. So, when the call came to ask if I wanted to go down to the South of France to work on _Two for the Road_ starring Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn, well, how do you say no to that?”.
“I was shooting portraits of Audrey when a dove landed on her shoulder. She stood as still as could be to allow me to get a few frames before the bird flew-off. Anyone else would have moved right way, but Audrey understood what makes a great image. She was a wonderful person to work with, a real star.”
ABOUT TERRY O'NEILL
Terry Oneill was born on July 30th, 1938 in the East End of London. His career as a photographer evolved by chance from his original ambition to become a jazz drummer. Leaving school at fourteen and after completing his national service, his ambition was to travel to America to study with the greatest drummers there. Thinking that the best way to travel frequently and inexpensively to the U.S.A would be to get a job as an air steward for BOAC, he applied; however, the airline at the time had no vacancies for stewards but suggested he took a vacancy in their technical photographic unit, which he combined with time at an art school and creating an interest in photojournalism. This led to Terry Oneill embarking on freelance work at London airport where, working with his Agfa Sillette, he looked out for interesting subjects in the passenger terminal.
His first scoop was a photograph of a distinguished looking gentlemen sleeping, which turned out to be R.A.B Butler, the then home secretary for Harold Macmillans government. The picture was bought and appeared on the front page of the Sunday dispatch, leading the editor to offer Terry Oneill a job as a reportage photographer at Heathrow. This was followed by three years in Fleet Street, with Terry Oneill at twenty-one, making him the youngest photographer in Fleet Street taking pop pictures for the up-tempo Daily Sketch.
One thing led to another and Terry Oneill quickly became a significant image-maker. He was one of a group of talented young photographers who helped create the photographic icons of the 1960s and the buzz that became Swinging London. The peer group that emerged in this decade alongside Terry Oneill included David Bailey, Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy from the East End, with Patrick Litchfield and Lewis Morley from different backgrounds.
Terry Oneills marriage to Faye Dunaway amongst other connections helped contribute to his success and profile internationally, particularly in the U.S.A from the 1970s onwards. Throughout the years he has photographed many great names from the world of celebrity, including Rod Stewart, Bridgitte Bardot, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Audrey Hepburn, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Kate Moss, Elvis Presley and bands such as The Who, The Rolling Stones, U2 and The Beatles. In more recent years, he has taken photographic portraits of the Royal family and Tony Blairs family. He has received commissions from important American based international magazine, Life, while in the U.K his work is frequently seen in the glossy pages of the Sunday Times.
ABOUT LEICA
Leica Camera AG is an international, premium manufacturer of cameras and sports optics. The legendary reputation of the Leica brand is based on a long tradition of excellent quality, German craftsmanship and German industrial design, combined with innovative technologies. An integral part of the brand's culture is the diversity of activities the company undertakes for the advancement of photography. In addition to the Leica Galleries and Leica Akademies spread around the world, there are the Leica Hall of Fame Award and, in particular, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), which is considered one of the most innovative sponsorship awards existing today. Furthermore, Leica Camera AG, with its headquarters in Wetzlar, Hesse, and a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, has a worldwide network of its own national organisations and Leica Retail Stores.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
- Must redeem 6 months after winning prize