From Winston Churchill to Donald Trump, Willy Rizzo was one of the greatest portraitists of the post-war world. Cultural Union rounds up 10 of his most iconic images.
The world would be hard-pushed to find another photographer that captured the élan and glamour of the 20th century as successfully as the Italian-French maestro, Willy Rizzo. The man who created over 200 covers for Paris Match might be most associated with capturing the era’s cultural icons, but he also had range – covering the Nuremberg trials and the Indochina colonial wars alongside the somewhat safer assignments of Dalí and Le Corbusier.
One striking aspect of his career is its longevity. Not many photographers include Winston Churchill and Donald Trump in their portfolios, but Willy Rizzo certainly did – a testament not just to the length of his career, but to the remarkable level of access he maintained throughout it.
Another striking feature is the sheer unguardedness of his subjects – whether Marilyn Monroe or his close friend, Jack Nicholson. It’s because for so many of these people, Rizzo was more than a chronicler of the golden age – he was its embodiment.
I recently sat down with Madame Dominique Rizzo, Willy Rizzo’s wife and the head of Studio Willy Rizzo, to talk about how the studio is continuing his design legacy. Madame Rizzo also opened Willy Rizzo’s photographic archive for us, and we’ve rounded up 10 iconic images that give a flavour of the polymath’s extraordinary career as a photographer:
1. Salvador Dalí, 1950
Willy Rizzo’s classic portrait of his friend Salvador Dalí is one of Madame Rizzo’s favourites. “This image with the lens touches me a lot,” she tells me, “because it makes me think of him as a young photographer, arriving to photograph Dalí, and immediately imagining a story for the picture. I’m touched by this.” Dalí went on to be not just a friend but a customer for Rizzo’s designs, buying Rizzo’s legendary SC115 hi-fi in the early 1970s.
2. Marlon Brando, 1958
There is so much kinetic energy in this shot of Marlon Brando. It fully captures the magnetism of the film star, as well as a certain pent-up menace. “When Willy went to Tahiti to photograph Brando, it wasn’t for a film production or for a magazine,” says Madame Rizzo. Instead, Brando had sought out Rizzo himself, to reintroduce the film star into the public’s consciousness after a bumpy period.
3. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin, 1965
Rizzo photographed Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin in Paris in 1965. During his lifetime, Rizzo said: “When I invited them to my studio, they were unaware of each other’s presence – they weren’t close friends.” However, he describes how they “softened immediately” as the shoot got underway.
4. Winston Churchill, 1949
1949 was the year Willy Rizzo began working for the new magazine Paris Match, a relationship that would last for more than 20 years. This reportage image of Sir Winston Churchill, taken at the European Parliament, is a reminder of not just the span of Rizzo’s career, but of its breadth.
5. Jack Nicholson, 1994
Jack Nicholson was a very close friend of Willy Rizzo and spent most summers with the family. This image reminds Madame Rizzo of her husband – “I recognise him in Jack’s expression,” she says.
6. Marie Claire Fashion Shoot, 1963
As a reminder of the many strings to his career, Rizzo became Artistic Director of Marie Claire in 1954. This image was taken for the magazine in 1963 – a classic example of his ability to elevate a fashion shoot to iconic status.
7. Le Corbusier, 1953
“Willy’s friendship with Le Corbusier was strong,” says Madame Rizzo. So associated is Le Corbusier with architectural principles that it’s slightly odd to think of him having friends, yet friends they were, and Le Corbusier had an influence on Rizzo’s other metier too – furniture design. This image was taken in 1953 for Paris Match, when Le Corbusier was 66.
8. Virna Lisi, 1961
Virna Lisi was an Italian film star who crossed over into Hollywood, reputedly turning down the roll of Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love, but finding global fame with Jack Lemmon in How to Murder Your Wife and going on to star with Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis. Rizzo took many photos of Lisi, but this is 1961 portrait, taken in Milan, is the definitive one.
9. Françoise Hardy, 1963
Few singers encapsulated the effortless chic of Paris in the 1960s, and few were as beautiful as Françoise Hardy. Rizzo’s portrait is perhaps her best – perfectly composed, intimate and cool.
10. Donald Trump, 2001
A harbinger of what was to come, it’s fascinating how Willy Rizzo’s portrait of Donald Trump captures so much about the man. Firstly, the access is extraordinary – portraits don’t come much more intimate than an invitation into the bedroom. Then there’s the faux-Versailles pomp, the hyper-confident gaze, straight to camera, and of course, the signature red, curiously long tie. It’s a remarkable image.