Francesco Scavullo | |
|---|---|
 Scavullo and his 1984 portrait ofSting | |
| Born | (1921-01-16)January 16, 1921 Staten Island, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 2004(2004-01-06) (aged 82) New York City, U.S. |
| Known for | Fashion photography |
Francesco Scavullo (January 16, 1921 – January 6, 2004) was an Americanfashion photographer best known for his work on the covers ofCosmopolitan for over three decades, and his celebrity portraits.
Some of Scavullo's more controversial work included aCosmospolitan centerfold of a nudeBurt Reynolds and photographs of a youngBrooke Shields that some[who?] considered overly sexual.[1]
Scavullo was born January 16, 1921, onStaten Island, New York City. He also lived inMidtown Manhattan at E 52nd Street.[2] He used his father's camera to photograph his sisters, who would model for him. He began working[when?] for a studio that produced fashion catalogs and soon moved toVogue. Scavullo spent three years asHorst P. Horst's assistant, studying Horst's techniques.[3] He created a cover forSeventeen in 1948 that won him a contract with the magazine. Scavullo soon opened his own studio in Manhattan,[4] and was married to model Carol McCallson from 1952 to 1955.[5]
Scavullo's 1969 photograph of singerJanis Joplin with a cigarette in her hand was exhibited at theAmon Carter Museum inFort Worth,Texas. The museum poster refers to Joplin, who died in 1970, as having a "free-spirited fervor of the counterculture revolution."[6]
Scavullo befriended a young teenager fromPhiladelphia, future supermodelGia Carangi, whose career he was largely responsible for launching.[citation needed] When Carangi'sheroin addiction made it impossible for her to find work later, Scavullo continued to employ and support her until her eventual death from complications ofAIDS.[4] Scavullo himself was diagnosed asmanic-depressive in 1981.[5]
Scavullo created shots for various movie posters, album covers and Broadway shows, including one forA Star is Born (featuringBarbra Streisand andKris Kristofferson),Judy Collins'Hard Times for Lovers, a portrait ofJulie Andrews forBlake Edwards'Victor Victoria,[4] the cover and poster photos ofKISS' 1979 albumDynasty, photos ofDonna Summer for herOnce Upon A Time andLive and More double albums and laterSummer: The Donna Summer Musical. In 1981, Scavullo was commissioned byMikhail Baryshnikov to photograph the dancers of theAmerican Ballet Theatre, which formed the basis of an exhibition that was later shown in a nationwide tour.[7] In addition, he photographed the underground Warhol super starTally Brown for his book Francesco Scavullo 1948-1984.
Scavullo photographedDuran Duran in the 1980s, with his work featured on various releases including the cover of "The Wild Boys" single. He appeared in the band's tour documentarySing Blue Silver.[citation needed]
Scavullo's work has been used on the covers ofSeventeen,Cosmopolitan,Harper's Bazaar,Interview,Newsweek andRolling Stone. He published several books, fromScavullo on Beauty (1976) toScavullo Nudes (2000).[5]
Scavullo died on January 6, 2004 (ten days before his 83rd birthday) ofheart failure at the age of 82 while on his way to a New York photo shoot with a then up-and-coming CNN news anchor,Anderson Cooper.[8] Scavullo was survived by his partner in life and art, Sean Byrnes.
