Two enthusiastic girls at Eden Roc taking a photograph of Audrey Hepburn and her husband Mel Ferrer, on a short holiday to Cap d’Antibes in 1956. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
The 1950s was an oddball era. On the one hand, you had McCarthyism and fear of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, and on the other, rock and roll and the bikini. While most of society seemed to be cookie-cutter plain at the time, the stars and starlets of the era were anything but, with many of them escaping conformity via the French Riviera, where every night was a party.
Influenced by international trends, the celebrity playground of the ’50s that photographer Edward Quinn chronicled throughout his career was very much its own universe. After leaving the Royal Air Force, Quinn moved to Côte d’Azur where he photographed world leaders and celebrities for publications such as Paris Match and LIFE. The photographer lived there full time in the ’50s—its so-called “Golden Age”—making a record of its glamour girls, playboys, writers, and artists.
Peter Ustinov in Monte Carlo playing tennis in 1955. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
With a polished technique and great charm, Quinn captured some of the postwar Riviera’s most memorable moments in hotspots such as Nice, Cannes, and Monte Carlo. His most memorable photos include a then-unknown Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly’s first meeting with Prince Rainier, and a precocious Brigitte Bardot. Quinn developed relationships with famed artists and that, coupled with his exacting eye, led to intimate portraits of Pablo Picasso, T.S. Elliot, and Gary Cooper. During the ’60s, the photographer also formed friendships with Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, and David Hockney.
Returning to print first the time since being sold out, Riviera Cocktail is a tantalizing look at postwar leisure via Quinn’s masterful photography. Published by teNeues, the book that documents the artistic and political elite on the French Riviera will be available in February 2017. Enjoy a preview of the collection below.
Grace Kelly, photographed here in 1959, with her friend David Niven in Monte Carlo for a gala. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Brigitte Bardot being photographed by her husband in their room at the Hotel Negresco, in Nice during 1955. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Rock Hudson on vacation at the Hotel Eden Roc at Cap d’Antibes, photographed in 1954. Until 1947 Hudson worked odd jobs. Finally, in 1954 with the film ‘Magnificent Obsession,’ he was accepted as an actor. In 1957 he was a nominee for an Oscar for ‘Giant.’ (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Sophia Loren and Anthony Perkins at a Gala Evening for the Cannes Film Festival in 1961. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
En route from Belgrade to Madrid after their successful Russian tour, Mike Todd and his wife Elizabeth Taylor, flying in their private airplane, ran into engine trouble over the Mediterranean in 1958. They were forced to fly into Nice on only one engine, and fortunately landed safely. Forced to wait for their plane to be repaired, they decide to go over and visit Monte Carlo. While Mike Todd talks with some local journalists, Liz goes to Cartier and buys a pair of beautiful earrings. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Marlon Brando walking along the harbor in Bandol in 1954. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Brigitte Bardot, a delight for the photographer, even when she signs her photograph for a young boy at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Natalie Wood came to the Cannes Film Festival in 1962 with her boyfriend Warren Beatty so as to keep him company. She was not keen to meet the journalists and photographers, and the police had to be called to prevent them from breaking down the door of her apartment at the Carlton Hotel. In the end, however, some persevering photographers did get some pictures. (Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
(Riviera Cocktail, Edward Quinn – Côte d’Azur Jet Set of the 1950s, Small Format Edition, to be published by teNeues)
Learn more about Riviera Cocktail or order a copy here.
—RealClearLife Staff
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