Slim Aarons: A Place in the Sun 
asked by waltersmith on November 10, 2006 2:01 PM
Since 1940 Slim Aarons has been hard at work, first as a war photographer, then with unprecedented access as a photographer to the rich and famous. In this gorgeous sequel to Slim Aarons-Once Upon a Time, he develops the environmental portrait to the level of art, always showing his subjects in their natural setting, in a circumstance synonymous with their station in life. He documented a particular world that is vanished. A Place in the Sun is that special glimpse of privilege under a bright and beaming sky, whether on sandy shore, snowy slope, or elegant home where cares are few. Through 250 stunning color pictures, Aarons provides a veritable who's who of high society: Aristotle Onassis with his first wife, Tina, and their children, Christina and Alexander; C.Z. Guest at her villa in Palm Beach; the Aga Khan at his Sardinian resort; and Truman Capote in Palm Springs. From Mustique to Monaco, from Aspen to Gstaad, only Slim Aarons can take us on a journey to the most exclusive playgrounds of the rich, inspiring even the most jaded armchair traveler.
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Being that Slim Aarons recently passed away, his work warrants an even closer work. What this book and the equally impressive Once Upon a Time have in common is that they portray true grace, elegance and class that makes todays celebrities look like a bunch of bums.
reviewed by glassysurf on November 15, 2006 9:49 PM
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With the recent death at age eighty of Slim Aarons the end of the time of the 'beautiful people' seems at an end - at least the photo documented class of the rich and famous as seen by the chief photographer of that elite group.
Slim Aarons earned his place in the sun. He was a combat photographer in WW II and after the war in which he lost his twin brother, he simply elected to not look at things that were ugly any more: saturation from the scenes of war played out its dynamic in a distant path for Aarons. He spent his fifty-odd years photographing the haunts of the wealthy and the beautiful, finding the special places, and openly introduced to the clans. He found the elegance of wealth as his subject, photographing beautiful people in their beautiful surroundings. Some would call this a shallow obsession, but his photographs became famous, e.g. Hollywood Legends, Joan Collins demurely stretched out on her bed with her pink poodle, etc.
Now Slim Aarons is gone and with him has passed the time when leisure among those who had it all has been tainted by the paparazzi. Aarons kept it clean and eloquent, and we are fortunate to have this excellent volume of his works as a celebration of his talent. Christopher Sweet is the one to thank for that and he has created a photo album well worth perusing, well worth remembering when times were different. Grady Harp, June 06
Slim Aarons earned his place in the sun. He was a combat photographer in WW II and after the war in which he lost his twin brother, he simply elected to not look at things that were ugly any more: saturation from the scenes of war played out its dynamic in a distant path for Aarons. He spent his fifty-odd years photographing the haunts of the wealthy and the beautiful, finding the special places, and openly introduced to the clans. He found the elegance of wealth as his subject, photographing beautiful people in their beautiful surroundings. Some would call this a shallow obsession, but his photographs became famous, e.g. Hollywood Legends, Joan Collins demurely stretched out on her bed with her pink poodle, etc.
Now Slim Aarons is gone and with him has passed the time when leisure among those who had it all has been tainted by the paparazzi. Aarons kept it clean and eloquent, and we are fortunate to have this excellent volume of his works as a celebration of his talent. Christopher Sweet is the one to thank for that and he has created a photo album well worth perusing, well worth remembering when times were different. Grady Harp, June 06
reviewed by webster on November 28, 2006 4:15 AM
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Slim Aarons really knew how to capture the jet set of a certain era, his images are so well crafted and the lucky subjects are always shown in there best light, literally and figuratively. The best picture in an array of amazing photography, and one that perfectly captures this rarified air, is the iconic picture of CeZe Guest standing by her pool, it captures all you need to know good and bad, through the prism of a beautiful woman, in a beautiful setting without a seeming care in the world, the very definition of, "To the Manor Born". Mr. Aarons captures so perfectly a life of unapolegetic jet setting opulance, and whether he means to are not he also captures the shallowness of it all, and you wonder, with all of this, are these people really any happier than the rest of us?
reviewed by h2o on November 29, 2006 11:55 AM