Hamilton, Bermuda, May 5th 2003 - The Bermuda National Gallery and ACE Gallery today announced that they will host a joint exhibition of the works of US-born photographer Lee Miller (1907-1977). Miller, one of the most prominent women photographers of the 20th Century, had already made a career as a model when she turned to photography in the 1920s. Although principally a fashion photographer, she became the only woman combat photographer in Europe during World War II and captured some of the most poignant events in world history.
The exhibition will feature a selection of photographic images by Miller, as well as reproductions of paintings by Pablo Picasso, Roland Penrose, Man Ray, Eileen Agar and Dora Maar, artists who were all inspired by her beauty and free spirit. Some 30 pieces of her Surrealist work will be displayed at the ACE Gallery with the greater part of the exhibition at the Bermuda National Gallery. The exhibition is sponsored by ACE Limited and curated by Julie Sylvester, Director of Exhibitions at the ACE Gallery. The exhibition runs from May 17th to September 5th 2003.
Miller initially became known as a model for Edward Steichen and other well-known photographers. After moving to Paris in the late 1920s, the young beauty began to take photographs and established herself as a fashion photographer. In Paris, she modelled for the artist Man Ray and was also his assistant and lover. Together they developed the solarization technique, which they both used in their work for special effect. When Man Ray introduced Miller to Surrealism, it was the moment she found her identity as a photographer. The Surrealist concept of the possibility of finding the marvellous in the mundane, the celebration of images from dreams, and the importance of freedom in all aspects of life remained the key guiding forces in her work throughout her career.
Miller documented her time with her friends in the surrealist circles. Her close friends included some of the most famous artists of the time, such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Eluard, Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington. Her style was influenced by surrealism and she often used an unexpected angle of view. It culminated following her move to Egypt in 1934. Desert landscapes that altered their appearance with the changing light inspired her to take some of her most experimental and stylized photographs.
When the Second World War broke out, Miller moved to London and began working for British Vogue. In addition to fashion assignments, she photographed the damage suffered by London in the Blitz and the wartime United Kingdom in general. In 1942, Miller became one of the first women to be accredited as a US war correspondent. This took her to the Continent, where she photographed the bombing of St. Malo and the liberation of Paris. She was also among the first reporters to document the liberation of Dachau. For several years, her reportage from war-torn Europe formed a central part of the content of Vogue. After many years on the road, Lee Miller had a son with her painter-husband Roland Penrose, and they settled at Farley Farm in England. Gradually, she gave up photography and focused passionately on cooking.
Miller had stopped taking photographs by the 1960s and at the time of her death she was virtually unknown. Today a strong resurgence of interest in her work is evident with major recent exhibitions in Edinburgh, Dublin, Helsinki, Manchester and currently at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. A major motion picture based on Lee Miller's life starring Nicole Kidman with screenplay by Sir David Hare is planned for release in 2006 by Cruise Wagner Productions.
The Lee Miller exhibition is organised and lent by the Lee Miller Archive,
www.leemiller.co.uk. Photographs are printed by Carole Callow.
Evening lecture
Anthony Penrose, Lee Miller's son and biographer chronicles her life and work in his lecture, illustrated with her own words and pictures on Saturday May 17th at City Hall. Reception 5.30pm for 6pm lecture. Call to reserve tickets: $10, member $5.
The Bermuda National Gallery is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm and closed on public holidays. Admission is free thanks to generous sponsorships. Guided tours each Thursday at 10am. Special tours can be pre-arranged for groups.
The Bermuda National Gallery, opened in 1992, is both the home of Bermuda's national art collection and the centre of the Island's thriving arts scene. It is the Island's leading art museum and has a richly diverse exhibition programme of past and present works by local and international artists that reflects Bermuda's varied artistic heritage and multi-cultural community. Additional information can be found at
www.bng.bm.
The ACE Gallery is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. Admission is free. Groups are welcome and should call for an appointment. The ACE Gallery, ACE Global Headquarters, 17 Woodbourne Avenue, Hamilton. Telephone 295 5200.
ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE) is the Bermuda-based holding company of the ACE Group of Companies, one of the world's leading providers of insurance and reinsurance. The ACE Group provides a diversified range of products and services to clients through operations in nearly 50 countries around the world. Additional information can be found at:
www.acelimited.com.