Christopher Kilkus on Photographer Francesco Scavullo

Francesco Scavullo

Born in 1921 in New York City, Francesco Scavullo (1921–2004) became one of the most renowned fashion-journalism photographers in the world. He is best known for his work for Cosmopolitanmagazine, where the models were photographed with an air of sexiness and glamour. These shoots included Scavullo’s trademark lighting and styling techniques, known in the industry as a scene becoming “Scavullo-ized.” Scavullo loved glamour and aimed to “make everyone look like a movie star.” Besides fashion photography, Scavullo was well-known for his enamel on canvas photo silkscreens, portraits and still life works.

Scavullo’s first big break came when he styled a shoot of Lauren Bacall for Harper’s Bazaar. That famous 1943 photograph is credited with launching Bacall’s career, along with Scavullo’s.

Scavullo led the way in lighting techniques, utilizing the white umbrella and muslin sheets method often found on movie sets. Besides his technical expertise, Scavullo was beloved by the models he worked with, and his photos are responsible for launching the careers of many young models.

Scavullo’s photographs have been seen in Rolling Stone, Life, Time, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Harpers & Queen, L’Officiel, Woman and Max, among many others. Additionally, he shot movie posters (including A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand) and album covers (such as Edgar Winters’ They Only Come Out At Night and Diana Ross’ Diana).

Scavullo’s photographs live on in his six books: Scavullo on Beauty, Scavullo Men, Scavullo Women, Scavullo, Scavullo: Photographs, 50 years, and Scavullo Nudes. His work is a part of the permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum in Texas.

Scavullo was commissioned to photograph many famous people, including Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Sissy Spacek, Cher, Brooke Shields, Madonna, Roseanne Arnold, Kim Basinger, Barbra Streisand, Michelle Pfieffer, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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