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RIZZO
W I L LY
RIZZO
Sitting in Willy’s dining room in Paris eating delicious pasta washed down by a glass (or
two) of wine, one is constantly inspired by Willy’s sense of humour and energy. Many a
time he would walk around and point to himself and ask me “why does everyone want
vintage? Am I a vintage? Here I am.” He jokes that he is his own ‘père et fils’. In our minds
we see the sign above the shop “Willy Rizzo, père et fils”. It is also true, he has had a
long and successful career but he is also keen on the future and thinking about what next.
Following the success and sell out of his last show his creative brain went into overdrive
planning and trying to improve and reinvent the best pieces. The product, two years later,
is the exhibition and catalogue that accompanies it. Included are some completely new
pieces, others inspired by his creations from the 60s and 70s and finally adapted pieces
from previous designs. All are offered with certification and, except for the lamps, are
limited edition.
In addition and perhaps with an eye to the ‘père’ sobriquet we are offering a collection of
limited edition silver gelatin prints taken by Willy of dance and the ballet in Paris in the
1950s. This collection is largely unpublished and never before produced at this size. For
both the enthusiast and the amateur we hope the marvellously conceived and executed
images will prove enticing. To accompany the collection Willy has designed and made a
new steel frame.
We hope you enjoy the catalogue and have a chance to visit the show either in London or
in New York. Please contact any of our sales team if you have any questions.
Thomas Woodham-Smith
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W I L LY R I Z Z O
A Rizzo photo reportage devoted to Maria Callas inspired Hergé to create ‘Walter Rizotto’,
Opposite, Paris
Match covers
photographed
by Willy Rizzo
betwwen 1949
and 1957
Willy Rizzo enjoyed being part of a charmed circle in Paris during the fifties. He was the
‘grand seigneur’ among a new photo-aristocracy. The houses of such cultivated friends as
the surrealist artist Jean Cocteau, and Louise de Vilmorin, writer of exquisite novels,
inspired him to start interior decorating, where he always put structure and space ahead
of bibelots.
Rizzo has always understood fashion, ordered his own suits from the finest tailors, adored
beautiful elegant women. In the Fifties Alex Liberman art director of Vogue (Rizzo has
always known EVERYONE), a creative genius who had commissioned such masters of
photography as Kertesz, Capa and Brassai, asked him to 'use his eye' for haute couture.
This was an immensely difficult new technique for Rizzo to master, after the immediacy of
reporting. It meant experimenting with different lighting techniques, taking on an altogether
unfamiliar artistic discipline.
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W I L LY R I Z Z O
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W I L LY R I Z Z O
Above and opposite, To follow his successful pictures of high fashion, the next step for Willy Rizzo was to catch
spreads from Paris
Match between 1949
the spirit of dance, an art form he has always loved. As a child he took modern dance and
and 1955 tap lessons, later classical ballet classes in the academies of the Champs Elysees.
Another technical challenge to be faced, he had to devise a way to seize that airy leap, or
fleeting expression, and to inspire the dancers. He told them to imagine being filmed by
a movie camera which records 24 frames in a second.
His ingenious device was a 'kalart' (invented in 1930 for military purposes) attached to the
front of his Rolleiflex which allowed the focus to be synchronised with flash lamps. This
system allowed him to catch natural movement on a still camera, impossible if he had to
rely on natural or theatre lighting.
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W I L LY R I Z Z O
Only flash will allow the camera to be set at a fast enough speed. Progress came years
later when cameras were manufactured with an internal synchronised flash mechanism.
An artist but also a gifted technical innovator, Willy Rizzo greatly expanded his photographic
repertoire during the fifties from portraits of actors and reporting. He transformed fashion
models into dream creatures and miraculously caught dancers in flight.
His social life informed his interest in design and decoration, leading to furniture design in
1968, a new chapter in his life. Willy Rizzo has equal gifts as creator of unforgettable
photographic images, and furniture on pure neo-classical lines, which will stand the test
of time.
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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BALLET
PHOTOG RAPHS
1949-1959
The images on the following pages are all silver-gelatine prints and of a
larger size than Willy has hitherto produced.
Each print will be signed and numbered and are in editions of eight.
Especially for this exhibition Willy has designed and produced a new design
of frame which will be both signed and numbered in the same edition size
as the photographs. Each of the frames has been made under his controlling
eye and offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the fusion of artist and designer
that is Willy Rizzo.
The brushed steel and brass design harmonises elegantly with the images
and captures both the spirit of the age and our era.
The frames can be ordered ‘off set’ and could be mounted with mirror plate.
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
In the film Funny Face, Fred Astaire caricatures the photographer trying to find
the best angle for his model in her Givenchy dress. Hepburn took ballet lessons
in order to be able to dance with this legend of dance. “I took these pictures with
a Leica, we worked outside all day but my camera had a fault which would have
been impossible to notice before and the pictures were ruined. I went to see
Audrey to tell her how upset I was. I also knew Fred Astaire of whom I had taken
several portraits. They were very kind and agreed to shoot the pictures again.”
P2J0128
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
SERGE GOLOVINE, 1958
THIS ‘BOND’ OR LEAP INSPIRED BY NIJINSKY
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P H OTO G RAP H S
“He (Golovine) demonstrated many different ballet positions. We choose one for
him which he rehearsed many times. I fixed my lighting and I shot the picture. I
know when I have the right image.” Golovine was famous for his airborne leaps
and the lightness and articulation of his footwork. This shot was taken at the
time he was performing in Le Spectre de la Rose and is typical of this ballet
which features a number of challenging choreographic leaps.
P2J0136
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
MARJORIE TALLCHIEF, 1954
THE FIRST AMERICAN TO
BECOME 'PREMIÈRE DANSEUSE
ÉTOILE’ AT THE OPÉRA DE PARIS
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
CON COLLEANO, CIRQUE MEDRANO, 1949
A CAPTURED SPLIT SECOND OF COURAGE,
BALANCE, COMPOSURE AND EXTREME TENSION
“Five minutes before this picture was taken, the wire had broken and Colleano
had fallen.” At 51 years old Con Colleano (1899-1973) was the greatest tightrope
walker in the world. Born in Australia he adopted a Spanish toreador persona
in April 1924 in order to boost box office sales. His act included bull-fighting
movements from the ring, Spanish dance moves on the wire along with a
dangerous forward somersault. He worked with the fantastic Ringling Bros.
and Barnum & Bailey circus in the United States.
P2J0131
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P H OTO G RAP H S
Born in 1923, Jean Babilée was known as the ‘James Dean’ of ballet. He
married to Nathalie Philippart, who was also his partner in Les Ballets des
Champs Elysées. He is very handsome, typically French and very muscular;
different from the Russian school. Balance à Trois is one of several ballets
Babilée choreographed, and was one of his most successful.
P2J0142
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
SONIA PETROVNA,1966
THE BIRTH OF A NEW TALENT
She was a student at the École de Danse de L’Opéra de Paris when she was
photographed by Willy Rizzo. She is French and lived with her family in Paris
but took a Russian theatre name as was fashionable after the fame of the
Ballets Russes. Shortly after this photograph was taken she was chosen to
star in a short film, Adolescence for which she received the San Georgio Prize
at the Venice Biennale and which marked the start of her career as an actress.
P2J0147
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
SONIA PETROVNA IN ADOLESCENCE, 1966
ROMANCE AND BEAUTY CAPTURED BY
INSPIRED LIGHTING AND INFORMALITY
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P H OTO G RAP H S
SAUT DE L’ANGE,1955
ROLAND PETIT AND HIS
PARTNER LEAP ENERGETICALLY
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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HEADINGS
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P H OTO G RAP H S
‘LA BELLE HÉLÈNE’, OPÉRA DE PARIS, 1955
TWO DANCERS CAPTURE THE FANTASY OF OFFENBACH
Micheline Grimoin and Josette Amiel, first dancers from L’Opéra de Paris,
interpret the evolution of dance in a ballet inspired by ‘La belle Hélène’ by
Jacques Offenbach. Choreography was by John Cranko, a South African most
well known for his work with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (later The Royal Ballet)
and the Stuttgart Ballet.
“I wanted a black background, so I took the picture from backstage with the
room in black, and a violent flash light at the side for the relief.”
P2J0135
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P H OTO G RAP H S
The prince, danced by Viktor Rona, principal dancer and later director of ballet
at the Budapest Opera House, compares two shoes and realises that he
has found the one which will fit Cinderella. Cinderella is danced by Galina
Samsova, a Russian dancer who trained at the Kiev Ballet School but at the
time of this ballet performance, was dancing at the National Ballet of Canada,
which she joined in 1961.
P2J0138
At the time this production was the most expensive ballet ever mounted,
costing 135 million Francs (the equivalent of 2 million dollars) to produce.
Jacqueline de Ribes and Raymondo de Larrain (nephew of the Marquis de
Cuevas) raised the money. It combined the children’s fairytale story with the
modern choreography of Vaslav Orlikovsky, Master of the Basel Ballet. The
clown was danced by Phillip Dalhmann.
P2J0137
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
LESLIE CARON, OPÉRA DE PARIS, 1950
DISCOVERED BY WILLY LAUNCHED THROUGH PARIS MATCH
Caron had her first magazine cover in Paris Match in 1950. Willy was looking
for a subject for the magazine’s May edition: “I went to the Bar des Théâtres in
front of Théâtre des Champs Élysées and looked at this young dancer crossing
the street. It gave me an idea. I told her I wanted to put her on the cover of
Paris Match. She laughed and said “I am not fooled by that old story!”. But she
was persuaded and I shot her photo at her parents’ house the very next day in
Bagatelle. I put a branch of lilies in her hand and took the picture. Sometime
after Gene Kelly called the magazine and asked for me, he wanted to know
how to find this girl. This was the start of her career.”
P2J0145
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P H OTO G RAP H S
Along the Seine in Paris, the legacy of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes had inspired a
new generation of dancers and was breathing new energy into classical ballet.
Hightower is the proof. When she first danced in Paris at the Alhambra, 1947,
with the Grand Ballet du Marquis du Cuevas, she received only a warm
reception but went on to receive high acclaim for her role in Swan Lake
amongst many others. The role of the Black Swan is a huge challenge for any
ballerina. The music is composed by Tchaïkovsky and the choregraphy was by
Marius Petipa (1822-1910).
Hightower began her dance training at the class of Dorothy Perkins in Kansas
City. In 1937 she went to Monte Carlo at the invitation of Léonide Massine,
principal choreographer of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. She joined the Grand
Ballet du Marquis du Cuevas in 1947. The Marquis du Cuevas (of Santiago,
Chile), was the husband of a grand-daughter of Rockfeller; an eccentric
personality who had a huge passion for dance and Ballet in particular.
P2J0146
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
This year witnessed the introduction of tutus
for its ballerinas. Dance costume has evolved
considerably since women began performing
in 1681. The first ballerina to dance “without
pannier, skirt or bodice”, wearing only a muslin
dress over her petticoat, was Marie Sallé in
1734, in order to have freer movement and
so that her audience could see her graceful
footwork. However, it was not until the end
of 19th century that the bell-shaped tulle
skirts were replaced with 16-layer tutus which
allowed ballerinas much greater mobility. These
in turn were replaced with the short ‘powder-
puff’ tutus instigated under George Balanchine’s
directorship at the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
in 1950. This tutu design can be seen above
and is used in ballet companies worldwide.
“For me The Opera is the palace of the stars,
where golden voices sing out and we attend the
mysteries of this palace of mirages where the
public can worship and pay homage to the lords
of performance.”
P2J0144
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P H OTO G RAP H S
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P H OTO G RAP H S
W I L LY
RIZZO
MODERN
DESIGN
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M allett have collaborated with Willy Rizzo to
launch a new collection of furniture. His sleek and innovative neo-classical designs, each as a
pair and in limited edition in 'noble materials' such as stone, marble, brass and stainless steel,
will be for sale at Mallett in London and New York during October and November.
Each piece has been conceived for the way we live now. Rizzo chose to work with Mallett for a
second time, confident that they combine a profound knowledge of craftsmanship with a feeling
for changing fashion. They alone have rediscovered the Rizzo star quality and its contemporary
relevance. Glamorous, comfortable, adaptable, indestructible, timeless furniture, equally at home
in a minimalist as a grand traditional interior. Vintage pieces have been tripling in value over the
last few years. Inferior versions, sometimes obvious copies, were beginning to appear. It seemed
timely to re-introduce a new and original collection.
Willy Rizzo made his name photographing beautiful people, who adored his company, and
always will. But the bon viveur artist who charmed celebrities was also an inventor, a gifted
technician, a follower of Leonardo.
In 1968 he went to live in Rome and started to design furniture for his own apartment, inspired
by classical principles, made by a small group of craftsmen. Antiques were uncomfortable,
Scandinavian and psychedelic style unsympathetic. His ultra chic brown, black and gold
decoration, glossy geometric furniture, including tables with a 'bassin' for chilled champagne,
and a lamp to 'encourage flirting' brought all the Dolce Vita princes and playboys of the newly
named Jet Set, wanting more of the same. Commissions came from Brigitte Bardot and
Salvador Dali. The Rizzo atelier grew to employ 150 cabinetmakers, and the world took notice.
But in 1980 Rizzo decided to return to photography. His furniture retreated into the shadows, but
now thanks to Mallett prescience, returns to the limelight it deserves in a collection of signed,
limited edition works, each piece supported by a certificate of authenticity.
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THE PARALLÈLE
FURNITURE
A pair of side tables with a drawer ‘parallèle’ black
Lacquer and stainless steel. Edition of 12, each piece
is signed and sold with a certificate of authenticity.
Height: 20in (60cm)
Width: 23in (50cm)
Depth: 20in (50cm)
F2J0115
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THE PARALLÈLE
A pair of side tables with a drawer either in black lacquer or
in mother of pearl. Mounted in bright polished stainless steel.
Edition of 12, signed and certificated.
Height: 20in (60cm)
Width: 23in (50cm)
Depth: 20in (50cm)
F2J0115
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THE TCG (TAVOLO COMMODINO GIREVOLE)
FURNITURE
A pair of rotating circular table-commodes in white lacquer and
stainless steel with 3 drawers each side of which has a secret drawer.
Edition of 12, signed and certificated.
Height: 12in (32cm)
Depth: 29in (75cm)
F2J0118
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FURNITURE
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THE LOVE TRIANGLE
FURNITURE
A pair of triangular table lamps in stainless steel, the
interior copper plated and the lamps fitted with dimmers.
Signed and certificated.
Height: 25in (65cm)
Width: 14in (35cm)
Depth: 14in (35cm)
L2J0117
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FURNITURE
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THE LACQUER LOW TABLE
FURNITURE
A rectangular lacquer and mother of pearl coffee table with internal polished steel liner.
Edition of 12, signed and certificated.
Height: 13in (34cm)
Width: 55in (140cm)
Depth: 31in (80cm)
F2J0122
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FURNITURE
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FURNITURE
THE FLAMINIA END TABLES
A pair of polished brass end tables with Roman travertine tops and
dark glass lower tier.
Edition of 12, signed and certificated.
Height: 20in (50cm)
Width: 31in (80cm)
Depth: 20in (50cm)
F2J0120
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COPYRIGHT
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publishers.
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