Farewell to Douglas Kirkland, the photographer of film legends of the past sixty years Marilyn Monroe at Angelina Jolie. The artist died peacefully last night at his home in Los Angeles, where he lived with his wife (and professional partner) Françoise, at the age of 88, and his health had deteriorated in recent months.

During his long and successful career Douglas Kirglandborn on August 16, 1934 in Canada, received around 2,000 commissions, photographed more than 600 celebrities and was a “special photographer” on the set of more than 150 films (titles such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, My Africa, Moulin Rouge, titanic).

The shoot that made him most famous, we all know it. it is An evening with Marilyn Monroe at which he shot see Magazine (the magazine was selling 6 million copies a month at the time…) in 1961: 55 unforgettable photos of Monroe at the height of her success, portrayed in sensual poses. Irvin Penn’s assistant, Douglas Kirkland, understood that it took relatively little to show the diva like never before. He says he told the staff, “We only need a bed with white silk sheets. » The photographer achieved his notoriety primarily through his ability to make Hollywood myths accessible, even vulnerable.

A chameleon of the lens, cheeky to the core with those blue eyes planted on a six-foot-tall body, he also handled the daunting task of “melting the timid.” coco chanel in front of the camera.

He has collaborated with the most important international publications and his photographs have been exhibited all over the world and are part of the permanent collections of the most prestigious museums. Douglas Kirkland has received numerous awards including the LUCIE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Photography.

He was known for this sentence: “Photography has always meant imagining and interpreting people, places and events. I understand the world better with a camera. »