Movie Stars

50 portraits in all, taken of celebrities, actors and directors between 1976 and 2007 have been included in this exhibition entitled “Movie Stars: Portraits by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders” showing at the Carlo Bilotti Museum in the Orangery at Villa Borghese between 17 October 2007 and 2 March 2008 as part of Rome’s Second International Film Festival”

The exhibition comprises 50 different sized prints, some in black and white, and others in colour, the smallest just 70 x 50 cm and the most imposing 180 x 150 cm. The protagonists of the last 40 years of cinema have all been captured on film by this celebrated photographer; international stars, both actors and directors, who have blessed the “seventh art form” with their mastery on both sides of the camera.

Identity is the theme that runs through Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ work – that of the artist, the subject, the photograph itself and of the work of art.

The exhibition features such imposing and legendary directors as Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock, the irreverent and irrepressible Spike Lee and even the normally shy and solitary Woody Allen agreed to have his portrait taken especially for this event.
These sacred cows of the past however, share the limelight here with two young American directors and scenographers representing the present and future of cinema - Darren Aronofsky and Wes Anderson.

The actors and actresses whose portraits grace this exhibition range from the extraordinarily seductive Nicole Kidman to the glamorous and fascinating Julianne Moore, the young and feisty Rose McGowan and the creative non-conformist, John Malkovich. One of Italy’s leading ladies, the alluring Valeria Golino, is also featured among this international cast of talented and beautiful stars.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ portraits can be found in the collections of some of the world’s most important cultural institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Getty Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Volumes of his photographs of the rich and famous, ranging from artists, the stars of stage and screen, porn queens, rock stars, writers and American presidents, have sold-out in bookstores worldwide and he is also a “contributing photographer” for the magazine Vanity Fair.

The actors
Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, James Cromwell, Alan Cumming, Jamie Lee Curtis, Claire Danes, Matt Dillon, Jodie Foster, James Gandolfini, Valeria Golino, Adrian Grenier, Tom Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Anne Hathaway, Ethan Hawke, Dennis Hopper, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Rose McGowan, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, Bill Murray, Joe Pesci, Guy Pierce, Sidney Poitier, Dennis Quaid, Vanessa Redgrave,Christopher Reeve, Marian Seldes, Ben Stiller, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Andy Warhol, Rachel Weisz.

The directors
Woody Allen, Darren Aronofsky, Alfred Hitchcock, Spike Lee, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, John Waters, Orson Welles.

The expressive capacity of Timothy Greenfield-Sanders lies in his ability to get on the same wavelength as his subject within a matter of minutes. He is famous for the speed with which he manages to put his sitters at ease and his eye is as all-seeing as the ears of a therapist are all hearing. Just as a therapist is able to hear beyond the words, this photographer is able to catch and show the “real” person in front of the lens and not just their public face.

It is a talent that means the photographs taken by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders reveal the self-irony of Woody Allen, the “British” elegance of actress Rachel Weisz, Wes Anderson’s very individual sense of humour tinged with melancholy and the great strength of character of the English actress, Helen Mirren.

The shots are imbued with a great psychological power that combines aesthetic elegance and technical ability to create a style that make the photographer’s work instantly recognisable. Every single one of his photos is an image in which there is an evident connection between the artist’s vision, the subject’s expression and the eyes of the beholder.

As an exhibition, it is the perfect complement to the concurrent “International Cinema Festival of Rome”, providing greater insight into the world of celebrity and linking the cinema of the past with that of the present by showing the talent and artistic, expressive and communicative passion that they share.
And where better than the very special setting of the Carlo Bilotti Museum located in the Orangery at the Villa Borghese to mount such an exhibition? It is yet another coup for a museum that is proving to be the favourite place for internationally renowned artists to debut in Rome – people like Willem de Kooning, Damien Hirst, Bernardì Roig, David Salle and Jenny Saville and on this occasion, it provides a fascinating set in which to pay homage to the fascinating world of film.

Those wishing to reproduce the photographs are kindly asked to consult the “Instructions for using the photographs”. Those available to the press can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
homepage.mac.com/timothygs/Bilotti/PhotoAlbum142.html