Portraits of a life less Audrey
Before Audrey Hepburn became one of the most photographed faces of all time, she was just another chorus girl in London’s West End – so it’s fitting that, six decades later, the district should host a blockbuster exhibition devoted to her image. Opening at the National Portrait Gallery this month, Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon explores the life and career of the actress and fashion muse through more than 70 photographic works, from classic prints by Cecil Beaton to rarely seen material lent from the personal collection of her two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti. Although there’s an abundance of photographs taken at the height of her fame in the ’50s and ’60s, the collection also gives its audience more intimate glimpses of the star – Audrey, aged 13, snapped at a ballet recital, or windswept and walking a dog in Richmond Park. As any attempt to have breakfast at Tiffany’s is likely to result in odd looks or forcible eviction, those seeking post-exhibition sustenance should head instead to nearby Sketch for afternoon tea. Elegant finger sandwiches, playful cakes and coupes of champagne are served in a ravishing dining room, its pinkness offset with risqué original drawings by artist David Shrigley.
2 Audrey Hepburn photographed for her 1966 heist comedy film How to Steal a Million
PHOTOGRAPHS: BRINKHOFF & MÖGENBURG, CHARLES COLEMAN, © DOUGLAS KIRKLAND