Francesco Scavullo | |
|---|---|
 Scavullo and his 1984 portrait of Sting | |
| Born | January 16, 1921 Staten Island, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 2004 (aged 82) New York City, U.S. |
| Known for | Fashion photography |
Francesco Scavullo (January 16, 1921 – January 6, 2004) was an American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan and his celebrity portraits.
Scavullo was born January 16, 1921, on Staten Island, New York City. 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 to Vogue. Scavullo spent three years as Horst P. Horst's assistant, studying Horst's techniques.[1] He created a cover for Seventeen in 1948 that won him a contract with the magazine. Scavullo soon opened his own studio in Manhattan,[2] and was married to model Carol McCallson from 1952 to 1955.[3]
Scavullo's 1969 photograph of singer Janis Joplin with a cigarette in her hand was exhibited at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The museum poster refers to Joplin, who died in 1970, as having a "free-spirited fervor of the counterculture revolution."[4]
Some of Scavullo's more controversial work included a Cosmospolitan centerfold of a nude Burt Reynolds and photographs of a young Brooke Shields that some[who?] considered overly sexual. He also befriended a young teenager from Philadelphia, future supermodel Gia Carangi, whose career he was largely responsible for launching.[citation needed] When Carangi's heroin addiction made it impossible for her to find work later, Scavullo continued to employ and support her until her eventual death from complications of AIDS.[2] Scavullo himself was diagnosed as manic-depressive.[3]
Scavullo created shots for various movie posters, album covers and Broadway shows, including one for A Star is Born (featuring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson), Judy Collins' Hard Times for Lovers, a portrait of Julie Andrews for Blake Edwards' Victor Victoria,[2] the cover and poster photos of KISS' 1979 album Dynasty, photos of Donna Summer for her Once Upon A Time and Live and More double albums and later Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. In 1981, Scavullo was commissioned by Mikhail Baryshnikov to photograph the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre, which formed the basis of an exhibition that was later shown in a nationwide tour.[5] In addition, he photographed the underground Warhol super star Tally Brown for his book Francesco Scavullo 1948-1984.
Scavullo photographed Duran 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 documentary Sing Blue Silver.[citation needed]
Scavullo's work has been used on the covers of Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Interview, Newsweek and Rolling Stone. He published several books, from Scavullo on Beauty (1976) to Scavullo Nudes (2000).[3]
Scavullo died on January 6, 2004 (ten days before his 83rd birthday) of heart 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.[6] Scavullo was survived by his partner in life and art, Sean Byrnes.
