Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita: Glamorous Italian villas, beaches, and jet-set icons captured in Slim Aarons’s golden, nostalgic lens.

by Slim Aarons (Photographer), Christopher Sweet (Introduction)

“Nostalgia-soaked images.” — Harper’s Bazaar
“Sumptuous images.” — Publishers Weekly
“It’s the next best thing to time travel.” — DuJour magazine

This lavish volume of Slim Aarons photography revels in this photographer’s decades-long love affair with Italy. From breathtaking aerials of the Sicilian countryside to intimate portraits of celebrities and high society taken in magnificent villas, Slim La Dolce Vita captures the essence of “the good life.”

Slim Aarons first visited Italy as a combat photographer during World War II and later moved to Rome to shoot for Life magazine, yet even after relocating to New York, he would return to Italy almost every year for the rest of his life. The images collected here document the aristocracy, cultural elite, and beautiful people, such as Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Joan Fontaine, and Tyrone Power, who lived la dolce vita in Italy’s most fabulous places during the last 50 years.

Tracing a journey from the 1940s to the 1990s, Slim La Dolce Vita takes us to Italy’s fashionable resorts, to its magnificent historic cities and small atmospheric towns, and to glorious landscapes, all reflecting the pleasures of the Italian art of living. Here is a rare glimpse into the lives of the preeminent families’ formal and informal circumstances, photographed in their palaces and on their estates, at their vacation villas and favorite haunts. Handsome men are in tuxedoes. Voluptuous women wear their most glorious gowns. Families walk beautiful gardens.

Here is your chance to experience la dolce vita in this one-of-a-kind coffee table celebration of all things Italian.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art, Coffee Table Books, Design, Italy

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Slim, one of the most influential photographers of his generation, started during World War II when he served as a combat photographer for Yank magazine in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. After the war he became a freelance photographer for many magazines including Holiday, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Travel & Leisure, Look, and Life. Many of the pictures in this book were originally commissioned by the legendary Frank Zachary who for many years was editor-in-chief of Holiday and then Town & Country. In 1997, Getty Images signed on to represent the Slim Aarons collection and now serves as the primary curator of his work.

His editor and longtime friend Mr. Zachary wrote in his introduction to the book: “Slim has documented the life of the rich, the privileged, and the leisured for fifty years. Without animus or adulation, he has mirrored the changing countenance of society—face lifts and all. His sustained focus on this historically inaccessible segment of society is without parallel in the annals of photography and possibly even literature . . . Slim’s achievement stands alone. It is the only visual chronicle (and in living color, too) of the privileged class in our time ..."

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Slim Aarons book, this one focused on Italy. I enjoyed the backstory on Aaron’s’ years as a war photography and how that led to his later career photographing the rich and well born in beautiful places, in this case all over Italy.

[Manny Villa]

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[M]

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[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous photos of Italy. Capri, Lake Como, and the Amalfi Coast are so stunning. This book gives me major wanderlust.

[Karl Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the photos, two for the print quality.

[LOVEROFBOOKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the photographers, movie stars, and royalty as much as I enjoyed the very beautiful photos of many decades. This is a heavy and sumptuous coffee table book, not meant to be devoured quickly.

I think the beauty of this book is like the saying about Slim Aaron's life choice of photography after the war: "Attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places." After the war, he wanted no more to be a part of it, not even as a photographer, so he left L.A. and moved to Italy. He wanted to surround himself with beautiful things, hence his photographs. They are timeless; classic.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of photographs of beautiful rich people doing beautiful rich people stuff in Italy just wasn't all that interesting to me. My favorite pictures were the ones of Lucky Luciano in Italy.

[Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A photographic feast for the eyes by one of the best photographers of his day.
Italy and the people who led 'the good life' during the middle and end of the 20th century come to life in this brilliant book of photographs that also showcase the beauty of Italy.