This article is published in number 21 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until May 24, 2022
I met him today, the first question I would ask him would be about the controversy Kim Kardashian wearing the dress in which Marilyn Monroe sang Happy birthday to President Kennedy. Having known him even briefly, I am convinced that he would not be against: he would have grasped the similarity between the two characters – the diva par excellence of yesterday with that of today. Unfortunately I can’t ask him: Ron Galella died last April 30, at the age of 91, leaving behind an unparalleled career and an archive that contains some of the most famous images in the history of American costume. Jackie Kennedy, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Sean Penn, Madonna, Robert Redford, Mick Jagger, Brooke Shields, Liz Taylor.
The list is endless. As are the exhibitions that have been dedicated to him: although his job was to chase the stars to get stolen shots, his photos have been recognized as art, exhibited in important galleries, bought by collectors and museums. I met him before the pandemic: I saw a documentary and decided to contact him. I spent an afternoon at his museum house in New Jersey in a living room with sky-high ceilings and a huge red S-shaped sofa. Around us, above, below, on the walls, on the floor, on the furniture, in practically every room white boxes with black labels with his treasure inside, the thousands of photos taken during his life, all perfectly cataloged. An unparalleled archive that taken as a whole is the best story of the American star system, certainly from its most glorious times. \
What did a celebrity have to have to be photographed by her?
«Beauty, but not only. Naturalness and action. I never liked stars who pose too much, I was looking for realistic images ».
What was the best period of your career?
«The one from Studio 54. Everyone went through it, sooner or later. You went there late and caught them all. ‘
Were the stars of those times different from those of today?
“They had fewer filters, they were more spontaneous and free. Now they take lessons on how to deal with the media, like going on television. They laugh too much, they show their teeth. And they are always surrounded by bodyguards ».
One of her most famous photographs is Jackie Kennedy crossing the street in New York with her hair ruffled by the wind. Today it would be impossible.
“It’s my best photo, the Mona Lisa, and not only because it’s the most famous, but also because of her expression, that smile only in the eyes. A natural, timeless beauty without makeup. It’s a photo of chance: I was in Central Park shooting with a model, I had taken that job only because she was on 88th Street, near Jackie’s house, I was hoping to be able to see her. And indeed she happened. I chased her a few blocks in a cab, so she wouldn’t be recognized. When I got off I found her almost in front of her and snapped at her. After that first photo she put on the sunglasses she was holding in her hand, but by now I had taken it, I had the perfect photo ».
There is another where he runs. Was he running away from her?
“He took his daughter to play tennis. She saw me and to prevent me from photographing Caroline she ran, convinced that I would chase her, as indeed I did. ”
Was he wrong or was he a little obsessed with Jackie? Rumor has it that she has been dating her assistant for a while.
“A Norwegian girl named Gretta, yes. She’d give me straight, like, the name of where Jackie got her manicure… then she once saw us together and fired her. ‘
So I’m right, he was obsessed.
«I used to call her my ‘golden girl’. I wouldn’t call it obsession, though. I liked her because she played along, she didn’t care about being photographed, she was natural, she didn’t pose. She was full of life, she was always doing something, she went jogging, bought books, saw her friends. It was interesting to photograph her. And then she appreciated my work: when I gave her my first book about her as a gift, I learned from mutual acquaintances that she had put it in plain sight in the living room, where it remained until her death ».
Yet there was some problem between you.
“She was very protective of her children. The only time she complained was when I photographed her biking in Central Park with John Jr. She sent her bodyguard to ask me for the film, she wanted me to destroy her photos. I didn’t turn him in and they got me arrested for harassment. On the advice of my lawyer I countered (in 1972 a judge ordered Galella to stay 7 meters away from Mrs. Kennedy and 10 from her children. A decade later, risking prison for violating the order, Galella agreed to never photograph them again, ed).
Apart from the assistant, did he have any other informants?
“I had a network, yes, people who worked in hotels, for example. I was once the only one photographing Liz Taylor and Richard Burton because I knew they were in a hotel other than the Plaza they usually stayed in. ‘
Is there anyone who has failed to photograph and who would have liked?
“Marilyn Monroe. Missed the opportunity. Once I was in the studio next to the one they were shooting in Bus stop and since I was doing another job I decided not to wait for him to come out. I regretted it the next day, also because I no longer had any chance with her ».
Elvis, on the other hand, has it.
“In 1974 at the Hilton hotel in Philadelphia. He had just finished a concert and instead of going out the back through the kitchens as he usually did, he walked out the front door, with the limo waiting outside. It is an almost blurry photo, Elvis is behind him, in front of him is his bodyguard who perhaps not by chance looks a lot like him, but despite this I like him, indeed perhaps precisely for this reason ».
Marlon Brando knocked out five of her teeth with one punch.
“It happened in June 1973. I knew Brando was in New York to record a TV show with Dick Cavett. I photographed him when he arrived in the helicopter, followed him all day and in the evening, while he was on his way to dinner in Chinatown, I chased him down the street again. At one point he said to me: “What do you want that you don’t have yet?”. I replied that I wanted a photo without sunglasses because they were better paid and he then punched me. We went for lawyers and in the end I got $ 40,000 for the settlement of a damage lawsuit. ‘
What’s the secret to getting the best photo?
«Being in the right place at the right time. And then the audacity. Do you think I was shy: I went to acting school in Pasadena, just to fight my shyness ».
His technique?
“I always shot two cars, one in black and white and one in color. The first photo I took by surprise, without focusing, without even looking. Maybe it was blurry, but she was natural. If the celebrity agreed to be filmed, I would shoot others in color, more cutlery, as a portrait. If she refused, I still took a photo at home. And in 90% of cases the stolen and natural one was also the one I later sold more and better ».
What have you understood of celebrities in all these years that you have spent photographing them?
“Who do a job that has to do with illusion. You see them on the screen and they look gigantic, they look super human, because the screen size makes them look like that. But in real life they are not, indeed sometimes they are even small ones ».
Would being remembered as a paparazzo annoy you?
“I’ve never chased celebrities for the sake of seeing them fall or catch them in embarrassing situations. Unfortunately today the word paparazzo is combined with characters of little taste. If I have been, I have been with class ».
Photo: Ron Galella
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Source: Vanity Fair