(Above) David E. Scherman. Lee Miller in Hitler’s bath, Hitler’s Apartment, Munich, Germany 1945. © Lee Miller Archives, England. All rights reserved.
Exhibition Preview: Lee Miller and Friends, Pallant House Gallery, January 17 - March 29, 2009.
Lee Miller and Friends, an exhibition from former Vogue war correspondent and model Lee Miller will be taking place at Pallant House Gallery from January 17 - March 29 2009.
Miller’s career was kick-started when she was saved from walking in front of a car by Vogue magazine magnate Conde´ Nast who signed her up as a Vogue model and for two years she was one of the most successful models in New York.
Her modelling career was halted following a photo shoot for Kotex sanitary napkins that shocked the American audience and she moved to Paris where she became the lover and assistant to Man Ray.
Miller played a key role in developing the surrealist technique of solarisation and briefly established a successful studio in New York City before returning to Vogue in 1942 as war correspondent.
Her role at Vogue lead to her gaining international recognition for her work and she established herself as an uncompromising photographer.
During her time as war correspondent she teamed up with Life photographer David E. Scherman who photographed her in Hitler’s bathtub in his Munich apartment.
(Above) Lee Miller. Photograph of Picasso, Chiddingly, East Sussex, England, 1950 © Lee Miller Archives, England. All rights reserved.
Not only was Miller a photographer and model she also acted as a muse to both her husband Roland Penrose and Pablo Picasso.
Lee Miller and Friends focuses on the relationships that she had with other artists and photographers many of whom were photographed at her Sussex home, Farley Farm.
“Carefully chosen from those who repaid the compliment of one of Lee’s portraits, the exhibition gives us an insight into her wider circle of friends, and shows us not only their importance to Miller, but also her importance to them,” said a spokeswoman for Pallant House.
(Above) Lee Miller. Photograph of Eileen Agar, Brighton, England 1937. © Lee Miller Archives, England. All rights reserved
The exhibition includes a photograph of Pablo Picasso cast by Lee in appropriately Surrealist juxtaposition against an English Village signpost, alongside Picasso’s drawing of a lithograph of flying bullets made the same day in the visitor’s book of Farley Farm.
Lee’s portrait of Eileen Agar appearing ‘pregnant with a camera’ against the Brighton Pavilion hangs next to Agar’s reciprocal tenderly affectionate portrait of Lee and Miller and David Scherman sit in turn in Hitler’s bathtub in his Munich apartment.
Highlights of the exhibition include photos of Picasso and Eileen Agar as well as a picture of Miller in Hitler’s bathtub - taken in his apartment in Frankfurt.
Anthony Penrose, the son of Lee Miller and Roland Penrose, will be holding a talk called Discovering Lee Miller in which he will describe his journey to discover his extraordinary mother.
Other original pieces include works by Leonora Carrington,Joan Miro, Eduardo Paolozzi, Paul Eluard and Roland Penrose.
For further details on Lee Miller and Friends and Pallant House Gallery go to www.pallant.org.uk.
