Gelatin silver print
USA, 1967, printed 1981
Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) – American portrait photographer
Numbered in ink verso ‘3/250’
With the artist’s estate stamp verso
From ‘Halsman/Marilyn’ portfolio
Other works from this edition are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Matted
Image dimensions: 12 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (32.7 x 25.1 cm.)
Sheet dimensions: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm.)
Overall dimensions: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm.)
Very good condition

In a clash of Eastern and Western cultural icons, this photograph depicts American actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe’s face blended with Chairman Mao Zedong, the leader of Communist China. Demonstrating the technical and stylistic innovations of photography throughout the 20th century, this photograph is both amusing and unsettling.

Executed in 1967 and printed in 1981, this gelatin silver print is numbered three from an edition of two hundred and fifty. With the photographer’s copyright stamp verso, the sheet measures 14 x 11 inches. Excellent, original condition.

Philippe Halsman (American, b. Latvia, 1906-1979)

American portrait photographer Philippe Halsman was born in Riga, Latvia before moving to Paris in the 1930s. He opened a portrait studio in Montparnasse where he photographed numerous artists and writers, including Marc Chagall, Le Corbusier and André Gide. Halsman moved to the United States in 1940, where he produced covers for major American magazines, including a record 101 covers for Life. He was elected the first president of the American Society of Magazine Photographers and, in 1951, was invited to join Magnum Photos as a contributing member. Halsman is perhaps best known for his multi-decade collaboration with Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, which includes Dalí Atomicus and the Dalí Mustache series. Over the course of his career, Halsman photographed some of the most influential figures of the mid-twentieth century, infusing many of portraits with his signature warmth and humor.