Audrey Hepburn show announced by National Portrait Gallery

  • Published
Audrey Hepburn photographed by Norman Parkinson in 1955Image source, Courtesy of Norman Parkinson Archive
Image caption,

Photographs selected include this shot, taken by Norman Parkinson in 1955

A photography exhibition celebrating the life and career of British actress Audrey Hepburn will open at London's National Portrait Gallery in July.

The show will chart her rise from West End chorus girl to one of Hollywood's most photographed stars and also document her later humanitarian work.

Classic images of the Breakfast at Tiffany's actress will be displayed alongside rarely seen family photos.

It includes work by photographers such as Sir Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon.

Image source, The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's
Image caption,

Audrey Hepburn captured in Rome in 1960 by Sir Cecil Beaton

Image source, National Portrait Gallery/Paramount
Image caption,

The actress in a 1950 portrait by Angus McBean (l) and a publicity shot for 1954's Sabrina

Image source, The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's
Image caption,

Audrey Hepburn by Sir Cecil Beaton in 1954, the year Sabrina was released

Some of the most famous images in Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon are taken from the Oscar-winning actress's film posters, vintage magazine spreads and publicity shots.

Image source, Jours de France
Image caption,

Hepburn in character as Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly Golightly in 1962, by Howell Conant

Many were taken behind the scenes on her films, including those by photographer Mark Shaw who was given exclusive access to the set of 1953's Sabrina for Life magazine.

Other highlights include Hepburn in her Broadway dressing room when she starred in Gigi, and family shots of Hepburn performing ballet as a young girl.

The exhibition also marks the 65th anniversary of Hepburn's career-changing performance at a leading West End night-club called Ciro's, in the same building that now houses the National Portrait Gallery's public archive.

The Oscar-winning actress' performances in revues at the club in her early twenties helped launch her career and led to her being scouted for British films, including 1951's Laughter in Paradise.

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon runs from 2 July until 18 October.

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