Jun 01, 2023 - Sale 2639

Sale 2639 - Lot 177

Price Realized: $ 1,170
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
Kennedy Onassis, Jacqueline by Ron Galella
Windbown Jackie: Black-and-white Press Photograph.

October 1971.

Image taken in the street of Kennedy Onassis while walking on Madison Avenue, her hair blowing in her face; annotated with the date 10/30/1971 and "TV Radio Mirror," on verso, 8 x 10 in.

Galella (1931-2022) was a prolific celebrity photographer and considered one of the originators of paparazzi culture in this country. He was the subject of the documentary, Smash his Camera. Kennedy Onassis sued him twice and secured a restraining order against him. Of this particular image, Galella says, "This is my favorite photo because it captures the qualities of the paparazzi style. The dramatic soft backlighting and the over-the-shoulder composition show [Kennedy Onassis] at her sexiest." Galella's interest in Kennedy-Onassis can only be characterized as an obsession. He was found guilty of breaking the restraining order four times. In the resulting settlement, he was fined $10,000 and surrendered all rights to photograph Kennedy Onassis and her children. Radio Mirror magazine was a tabloid that began publication in 1933 focusing on radio melodramas. They added TV to their name in the 1950s, covering celebrity gossip and other sensational media stories. Kennedy Onassis was a favorite.