Technique : Silver gelatine print signed and numbered on the back
Dimension : 76 x 76 cm / 100 x 100cm when framed
Edition : 12 on edition of 25
Certificate : a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist is delivered
Information: Born in New York in 1933, Melvin began his career as a still-life photographer before joining Harper’s Bazaar in 1959 at just 21. Deeply influenced by Surrealists such as Dalí, Delvaux, and Picabia, as well as Flemish masters like Van Eyck and Bosch, his work focused less on fashion itself than on the woman before the lens and the body’s hidden movement beneath clothing.
His iconic Women in Bubble series (Paris, 1963) for Harper’s Bazaar was inspired by Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. To bring his vision to life, Melvin collaborated with aeronautical engineers to create Plexiglas spheres, suspended from cranes and ingeniously designed with Fabergé-inspired hinges. He perfected the illusion by erasing the aircraft cables directly on the negatives.
From bubbles floating down the Seine, to models miniaturized beside giant furniture, to levitating figures and striking celebrity portraits, Melvin’s photographs remain milestones in the history of fashion and art photography.
