The Audrey Hepburn Collection by Bob Willoughby exhibit in London

If you love looking at pictures of Audrey Hepburn - and really, who doesn't? - then you most certainly have seen photographs of her that were taken by Bob Willoughby. You may not know his name, but rest assured, you know his work and love it.

He caught Audrey just as her star was starting to rise, and stayed with her throughout her career. More than a photographer, Willoughby was lucky enough to be a friend to Audrey as well. They visited each other frequently, and their children grew up together. This intimacy shows in their work together, and now Proud Galleries in London is exhibiting Bob's photographs of Audrey for all to enjoy. Best of all, it's free!

Starting May 12, the exhibit runs until June 26 at Proud's Chelsea gallery, address 161 King’s Road, London. Public hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 10-7, and Thursdays and Saturdays from 10-8. You can find additional information at the Proud Galleries website here. If you can make it, this exhibit is a must-see!

Special thanks to Sophie for sharing all this information, and for her kindness and generosity.

Something for the L.A. fans

Whew, it's been hectic around here lately! I think things may settle down around September or October, but until then, be prepared for more sporadic -- yet cool -- updates. :) Just a short while ago I received a letter about a new gallery exhibit opening at the end of the month in Los Angeles, and it coincides with a new book on Audrey. Double the goodies!

The book is called Charmed By Audrey: Life on the Set of Sabrina, and from what I can tell it's mainly a picture book featuring loads of snaps from photographer Mark Shaw. Have a gander at the cover of the book (left), I know you know his work.

Anyway, the grand opening is Tuesday April 28th from 6-8 PM, and Mark Shaw's son David will be onhand to sign copies of the book, which will be for sale. There will also be prints available on display, and if you can't make it to opening night, don't fret. The exhibit will stay on the walls until June 26th, and can be found at Svenska Mõbler, 154 N. La Brea Ave in Los Angeles.

I'm planning on being there, taking a bullet for all you fans scattered throughout the world who can't make it. I know, it's such a difficult job, but someone must do it. ;) If you can come, leave a comment and let me know! I'll keep an eye out for you.

P.S. You can see some prints online by clicking here, if you're impatient. There's also a lot of Jackie Kennedy, some early pre-Velvet Underground Nico and some amazing behind the scenes Balmain, for all you fashionistas.

P.P.S. There's also a great photo exhibit coming to London soon, but I'm waiting on some more information before I post about it. Stay tuned!

Update: if you can't make it to opening night and don't find the book in your local bookshop, it is available on Amazon. And thanks to the lovely Beth for all the info!

And we're back

Hello all, and many thanks for your enduring patience with me. To make a long life story short, I decided at the last minute to drive 500 miles south and spend the holiday with my family, since I hadn't had a holiday with them in 3 years for one reason or another. My mum's accident made me realize that our time with each other is limited, and I need to make the most of it. My baby nephew also turned one year old and his favourite aunt had to be onhand for that momentous occasion, of course. :) I also managed to write a novel for NaNoWriMo, but that's a different story, get it?

Long story short, I'm back and we have a lot of catching up to do! Here's a short list of things that have been going on in the world of Audrey Hepburn lately:

- Donald Spoto's controversial biography of Audrey, which was a subject of much debate in the Audrey Hepburn Circle after it's original release, is now available in paperback.

- It's that time of year again! As pointed out by the lovely Lotta both this year and last December, UNICEF and Nokia are uniting to offer holiday e-cards that will benefit everyone. Whether you send cards or not at this time of year, you may want to consider sending at least a little "Thinking of you" note now, since these e-cards will help children around the world have a better life. For every card sent that is opened by its recipient, Nokia will donate an undisclosed sum to UNICEF. The numbers go up every year, so let's see if we can't set new records this year! Go here to start sending your cards.

- This Thursday a black-tie ball benefiting the Irish Sri Lankan Orphanage Fund will feature a dress worn by Audrey herself, along with other famous dresses worn by equally famous women. Unfortunately, the posh Irish event is already sold out, but maybe we can hope for some pictures to surface online? I'd like to know which Audrey dress will be on display.

- In San Francisco now through February 2008, photographer David "Chim" Seymour's photographs are on display at the de Young Museum. Included in this display are his portraits of iconic celebrities, and of course Audrey Hepburn is one of them! On a clear day I can see the top of the de Young from my place, just peeking over the trees in Golden Gate park, so it would be absolutely unacceptable if I didn't get down there to see this for myself. The de Young is more lax about picture taking than the MOMA, so I may be able to get some shots for your enjoyment. :) If you're anywhere in the neighborhood, though, I highly encourage you to see for yourself. The first Tuesday of every month is free museum day.

- UNICEF's annual Snowflake Ball was another huge success, raising over $2 million for the charity. The Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award was also given to actress Téa Leoni at the ball, for her family's ongoing work with UNICEF, starting with Leoni's grandmother, who founded the U.S. chapter of the charity.

And there's the news that's fit to print. :) Thank you again for your understanding and patience throughout all of this.

Note: I tried to post this yesterday, but Blogger ate the post and I only found it again today. It's always something, isn't it?

a pint-sized Holly Golightly

Photographer Amy Wenzel recently did a themed photoshoot revolving around Audrey Hepburn. She wanted to recreate the immortal Breakfast at Tiffany's photo of Audrey as Holly Golightly enjoying her breakfast actually inside Tiffany's (see photo at left), and made a little documentary showing how this idea became a reality. She didn't have a specific little girl in mind when she started this, but it all came together nicely in the end, and you will be very charmed by this video:

For any girls out there wishing to make their own Golightly-themed photo shoot, this video might give you some tips and tricks on how to make your own photos more closely resemble Audrey's.

A Weekend With Audrey Hepburn

Thanks to quissuer711 at the Audrey Hepburn Circle, there's a fantastic "new" story about spending the weekend with Audrey. Apparently way back in 1951, before anyone really knew the name Audrey Hepburn, a scientist was asked to entertain a friend's house guest, the guest being none other than Audrey. The two became chummy and kept in touch over the years, and I won't ruin any more for you. Read the whole story here and judge for yourself how you like this story.

This next bit is a tenuous stretch at best, but since it keeps finding its way into my inbox, I might as well share it. Apparently there's a new CGI movie out in the vein of Shrek, this one called Happy N'Ever After. The main character, Ella, is supposed to bear a strong resemblance to Audrey, and might have been modeled after her (she's voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar). To me the resemblance is minimal at best, but again, I'll let you decide. Ella is the one on the right, with the shorter hair.

Photographer Douglas Kirkland has been photographing celebrities for quite a long time, and has taken some great, classic shots over the years simply by sticking with his subject and snapping constantly. One of the celebrities he's tailed was Audrey, during filming of How to Steal a Million, and at a new exhibit at the Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography you can see his work and some Audrey shots. The exhibit runs from January 11 through March 18, and he will be at the museum on Saturday, January 13, and you can learn a little more about him here.

A little while ago I posted about a new upcoming Audrey auction, but couldn't find much information on it. Now Swann Auction Galleries, the auction house that will be selling this batch of contracts, has released more information on their website. It turns out that three Audrey documents, not one, will be sold on January 25. Lot 150 is Audrey's contract to appear in How to Steal a Million. This is expected to go for $1,000-1,500 (US):

Lot 151 is a letter signed by Audrey that would allow her to borrow a print of How to Steal a Million, and is expected to fetch between $600-800 (US):

And lot 152 is another signed letter, this time asking to borrow a print of Two For the Road. It's expected to get between $600-900 (US), though I can't see why this would be more valuable than the other letter:

And lastly, onepoll.com recently did a poll on the Top 50 Greatest Gay Icons, and Audrey came in at #8! Surprisingly, she came in above Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand. But I guess you can't keep a good gal down, no matter how long she's been gone. To see the whole list, click here.

the Audrey Hepburn chocolate bar

Thanks to chipmunkalvyne of The Audrey Hepburn Circle for discovering this tasty treat: an Audrey-themed chocolate bar!


I haven't been able to find much information on it yet, so I wonder if the chocolate is Belgian or Swiss. ;) If you can't make it out on my resized picture, there's a glamour quiz on the wrapper, which tells you how glamorous you are (or aren't), and how to act accordingly. I'm embarrassed to tell you my results, so I'll let you just take the quiz for yourself. Results can be found here.

The National Trust's Fox Talbot Museum will have an exhibit on the art of the portrait, and Audrey's face will be featured! While the article doesn't have a whole lot of information, it does say that Cecil Beaton's photography will be featured, so more likely than not, Audrey's images will be the My Fair Lady set shoots she did with Beaton during lunch breaks. If you're in the area and would like more information on the museum and exhibit, you can find hours and fees here.


Lastly, some Washington Post writers came up with their top 10 lists for the Best of 2006: Music. Surprisingly, AC/DC's pairing with Jo Stockton's modern dance from Funny Face made the first list at #5! You can see the rest of that list, along with the other writers' lists here.

Update: The sharp-eyed Lotta found that the chocolate is indeed Italian.