Willy Rizzo

This important, new, large format book from Contrejour examines the life and work of the world-famous photographer and renowned furniture designer, Willy Rizzo,( 1928-2013 ), throughout a lifetime spent at the top of both of his professions.He began his career as a photographer in Paris at the end of WWII, picturing all manner of news stories, from the stars and starlets of the day to a coverage of the Nuremburg Trials, for various magazines including Point de Vue, Life and France Dimanche, a magazine that specialised in the lives of celebrities He moved to America in 1947, where his charm and technique gave him unparalleled access to the film stars of the day. Stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Nicholson, Gregory Peck, Brigitte Bardot, and Monica Vitti loved working with him, and he loved working with them. A character with a distinctive personality he became a 'star amongst stars'.He returned to Europe to work for Paris Match for two decades,and became the artistic director of Marie Claire in 1959. In 1968 he married Elsa Martinelli, and began a second career as a furniture designer, almost by accident. His hand- made designs were sought out by the rich and famous and are seen as design classics today.