Slim Aarons: The Art of Living and the Making of Modern Glamour
From the French Riviera to Palm Springs, how Slim Aarons shaped our imagination of luxury, architecture, travel and the good life.
Slim Aarons: The Art of Living and the Making of Modern Glamour
Presented by The Selects Gallery, this online exhibition explores the enduring cultural influence of Slim Aarons (1916 to 2006), the American photographer whose images came to define the golden age of international leisure.
From the swimming pools of Palm Springs and the French Riviera to the ski resorts of the Swiss Alps and the sun-drenched shores of Capri, Aarons photographed a world of extraordinary places and remarkable people between the 1950s and the 1990s.
Yet his photographs have become much more than portraits of fashionable society. They helped establish a visual language of modern glamour that continues to influence fashion photography, architecture, interior design and our collective idea of luxury.
Through a selection of his iconic photographs, The Art of Living examines how Aarons transformed fleeting moments of leisure into lasting cultural images.
When Architecture Became Part of the Photograph
One of the most distinctive qualities of Aarons' photography is the relationship between people and their surroundings.
Architecture is never simply a backdrop. It is central to the story.
In Poolside Pairs (1970), photographed at the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, California, the clean lines of Richard Neutra's celebrated midcentury modern residence frame an intimate social scene. Former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur and Nelda Linsk, dressed in white and yellow, relax beside a turquoise swimming pool against the dramatic San Jacinto Mountains.
The photograph is part of the same series as Aarons' celebrated Poolside Gossip, one of the most recognizable images of California modernism.
Similarly, El Venero (1967), photographed at a private estate in Marbella, brings together traditional Andalusian architecture, colorful resort fashion and carefully observed social interactions.
These photographs reveal how architecture, design and lifestyle came together to express the aspirations and aesthetic values of their time. Decades later, the images continue to shape our understanding of midcentury modernism and the relationship between photography and interior design.
The Golden Age of Travel: Places That Became Icons
Aarons' photographs helped transform certain destinations into enduring symbols of sophistication.
The French Riviera, Capri, Palm Springs and the Swiss Alps were already fashionable retreats. Through his lens, they acquired a visual identity that would resonate far beyond the world of their original visitors.
In Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc (1976), the legendary swimming pool carved into the rocky Mediterranean coastline becomes a portrait of Riviera glamour. The architecture, the sea and the relaxed movement of the guests combine to create an image that feels both spontaneous and timeless.
In Capri Holiday (1958), Aarons offers a different interpretation of Mediterranean leisure. Photographed from above, two swimmers and a solitary white boat appear suspended in luminous turquoise water. The composition approaches abstraction, demonstrating how his eye for geometry and color could transform an ordinary summer moment into an extraordinary photograph.
These images did more than record destinations. They helped define how those places would be remembered, imagined and desired.
How Slim Aarons Shaped Our Visual Culture
The enduring appeal of Slim Aarons extends well beyond nostalgia for a glamorous past.
His photographs established an aesthetic that remains deeply embedded in contemporary visual culture: saturated colors, exceptional architecture, effortless fashion, spectacular landscapes and moments of apparent spontaneity.
Their influence can be seen in fashion editorials, luxury campaigns, hospitality design and interiors, where photography becomes a means of expressing not only style, but an entire way of life.
Yet their significance is also historical. These photographs document a particular social world, its aspirations, its rituals and its relationship with the extraordinary places it inhabited.
What makes Aarons' work so compelling is precisely this duality. His images are records of their time, yet they continue to feel contemporary.
He did not simply capture the good life. He helped define how generations would imagine it.
Collecting Slim Aarons: Photography Beyond Its Time
Today, Slim Aarons' photographs occupy a distinctive place in collectible fine art photography, attracting collectors whose interests span photography, fashion, architecture and design.
Their appeal lies in the combination of cultural significance, remarkable composition and enduring visual relevance.
The Slim Aarons photographic archive was acquired by Getty Images in 1997. Through Getty Images Gallery and authorized partners, collectors can acquire photographs produced from original archival material, including Limited Edition Estate Stamped Prints.
These estate-authorized editions offer collectors an opportunity to own works from an important photographic archive, with editioning and authentication that distinguish them from ordinary decorative reproductions.
At The Selects Gallery, we celebrate Aarons for his unique ability to capture the intersection of culture, style, architecture and the art of living.
More than images of a glamorous world, his photographs have become part of the visual history of the twentieth century.
Exhibited Works
Explore the selection of Slim Aarons fine art photographs presented by The Selects Gallery, including works from Palm Springs, the French Riviera, Capri and the Swiss Alps.
See More
Greg Lotus and the Architecture of Photography
The relationship between photography and architecture continues to inspire contemporary artists, including Greg Lotus.
While Slim Aarons captured the way people inhabited extraordinary spaces, Lotus explores architecture as a graphic language, using bold geometry, striking shadows and carefully composed human figures to create images that are both architectural and theatrical.
In works such as Poolside Geometry, architecture becomes an active element of the composition, transforming the relationship between body, space and perspective.
Discover how architecture continues to shape contemporary fashion and fine art photography.
Explore Greg Lotus' Photography
Read More: Fashion Photography and Architecture