Tom Kelley, Digital C-Print, ‘Pose #2 – Marilyn
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Description
USA, 1949, printed 2014
Tom Kelley (1914-1984) – American celebrity photographer
Signed in silver ink lower right ‘Tom Kelley’
Numbered in silver ink lower left ‘156/300’
From the ‘Red Velvet’ Series
Published by Pacific Licensing, Santa Rosa, CA
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity with artist’s and publisher’s signatures, dated 2014 and copyright reproduction limitation blind stamp
Image dimensions: 27 x 21 in. (53.3 x 68.6 cm.)
Sheet dimensions: 28 x 22 in. (71.1 x 55.9 cm.)
Very good condition
One of the most recognizable images of Marilyn Monroe, this image taken by Tom Kelley depicts the young actress posing nude on red velvet. From the series taken in 1949, Hugh Hefner used one of them as the centerfold for the first issue of Playboy Magazine in 1953. Beautiful and alluring, “Pose #2” captures a rare moment frozen in time.
Executed in 1949 and printed later, this Fuji Crystal Light Jet mounted on aluminum is signed and numbered one hundred and fifty-six from an edition of three hundred. From the artist’s “Red Velvet” series, the work was published by Pacific Licensing, California and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The overall dimensions are 28 x 22 inches. Excellent original condition.
Tom Kelley (American, 1914-1984)
Tom Kelley Sr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied photography as an apprentice in a New York photo studio before working for the Associated Press and Town & Country Magazine. Kelley moved to California in 1935 where he established a photography studio in Hollywood, producing promotional photographs of movie stars. He is best known for his iconic nude photographs of Marilyn Monroe, which were distributed widely as calendar art, one of which was featured in the inaugural issue of Playboy Magazine (1953). Some of his most famous subjects have included Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Jack Benny, David Bowie, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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