Ormond Gigli (1925–2019) was a highly regarded American photojournalist, best known for his breathtaking portraiture and surreal fashion photography. With a career spanning over four decades, Gigli's visual narratives appeared in prominent international publications such as TIME, LIFE, Paris Match, and Colliers.
Gigli began his journey in the 1950s, gaining recognition for his captivating photographs of theater, film, and dance. His subjects were a medley of cultural icons — Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Anita Ekberg, Marcel Duchamp, Willem de Kooning, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, Richard Burton, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and many more.
Gigli’s approach to portraiture was as much about his technical prowess and compositional elegance as it was about his ability to elicit his subject's spirit and character, a skill that would mark him as one of the luminaries of his time, akin to contemporaries such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Diane Arbus.
Yet, the pièce de résistance of Gigli's illustrious career is the iconic photograph known as Girls in the Windows, taken in 1960. This masterwork exemplifies Gigli's innovative vision and ability to transform the everyday into a tableau vivant of unparalleled aesthetic appeal. The image depicts 43 women poised in the windows of a New York City brownstone, exuding an ephemeral vibrancy that captures the essence of 1960s fashion and art photography.
Born in New York City in 1925, Gigli's passion for photography blossomed when he received his first camera from his father. After graduating from the School of Modern Photography in 1942, he served as a Navy photographer during World War II. Post-war, Gigli lived the bohemian life in Paris, before returning to New York where his career took off in 1952 after a series of celebrity portraits for LIFE magazine.
Gigli's modus operandi for Girls in the Windows was to immortalize the beauty of the soon-to-be-demolished buildings opposite his East 58th Street studio. Within the constraints of a two-hour window, Gigli meticulously arranged models, some of whom volunteered from an agency, some friends, and others being his wife and the demolition supervisor's wife. The final result was a symphony of color, form, and life, beautifully encapsulated within the frames of the brownstone windows.
Gigli recalled in an interview with TIME magazine: "What had seemed to some as too dangerous or difficult to accomplish, became my fantasy fulfilled, and my most memorable self-assigned photograph. It has been an international award winner ever since. Most professional photographers dream of having one signature picture they are known for. Girls in the Windows is mine."
Today, Girls in the Windows stands as a testament to Gigli's creativity and daring. As vibrant and evocative as it was in 1960, the photograph continues to resonate, its allure undiminished by the passage of time. Much like the timeless works of his contemporaries, Gigli's photograph is an ode to the beauty of everyday life, captured in a moment of extraordinary serendipity.
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(Biography provided by International Fine Arts Consortium — IFAC Arts)
Girls in the Windows
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Girls in the Windows 37" x 37" Photograph Archival Pigment Print Edition AP 7 / 8 (last print available in this size) Signed Photogra...
Archival Pigment
$6,500
Sardinia, Italy, Contemporary Color Fashion Photography 1960s by Ormond Gigli
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New york, NY
Ormond Gigli's Sardinia, Italy, 1969, is a limited edition archival pigment print. A 22.5" x 20" print in an edition of 8 is signed recto (front of photo). Provenance: the artist's ...
Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment, Photographic Film
Sophia Fountain
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New York, NY
Sophia Fountain, 1960 color coupler print 16 x 16" ed. of 30
Emille Griffiths
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Santa Monica, CA
ORMOND GIGLI was born in New York City in 1925. He became famous early on during the 1950s for his photographs of theatre, celebrities, dance, exotic persons & places. His work appea...
Silver Gelatin
3 Matadors, Seville (1952)
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Gelatin Silver Print 22.5" x 16" Unique: $5225 Provenance: From the artist's studio, Printed by artist Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York City, 192...
Silver Gelatin
$6,500
Neff
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Neff, 1954 Gelatin Silver Print 13.5" x 10.5" Unique: $6500 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born Ne...
Silver Gelatin
Girl with Oxen, Portugal
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Silver Gelatin Print 27.25" x 23.5" Unique: $5400 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Signature: Signed en verso ORMOND GIGLI Born New York Cit...
Silver Gelatin
Portuguese Boy, Portugal
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Portuguese Boy, Portugal (1952) Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Printed by Artist 11 3/4" x 8 1/2" Unique: $3000 Signature: Hand-signed by artist, signed en verso Provena...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Ann Schaufuss, 'The-Gatsby-Look'
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New York, NY
Ann Schaufuss, 'The-Gatsby-Look', 1973 C Print 22 x 22 inches Ormond Gigli (American, b.1925), famous in the 1950s for his photographs of theater, celebrities, dance, and exotic people and places, was born in New York City. His photographs were featured in prominent magazines, such as LIFE, Time, Paris Match, Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, and many others. He has created portraits of Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, John F. Kennedy, Halston, Gina Lollobrigida, Diana Vreeland, Giancarlo Giannini...
C Print
Price Upon Request
Models in the Windows, New York City
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Santa Monica, CA
In 1960, while a construction crew dismantled a row of brownstones right across from my own brownstone studio on East 58th Street, I was inspired to, somehow immortalize those buildi...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Girl in Light
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New York, NY
Girl in Light, 1967 (printed later) color dye coupler print (c-print) 17 x 16" edition of 75 51 x 49" edition of 10 signed, dated and numbered by the artist
C Print
$5,000
H 11 in W 14 in
Eve Babitz and Marcel Duchamp playing chess during Duchamp's Pasadena Art Museum
By Julian Wasser
Located in New York, NY
Listing is for an unframed print and includes free shipping to the continental US and 14-day return policy. Julian Wasser Eve Babitz and Marcel Duchamp pl...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$15,000
H 52 in W 44 in
Ezra, color photograph from Homegrown, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Julie Blackmon
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Ezra is a color photograph from Homegrown and is signed and numbered by the artist “When I began taking pictures,” Blackmon says, “ I was primarily interested in documenting the l...
Archival Pigment
$30,120
H 55.91 in W 42.13 in
Kate Moss Abstract, Reflection on Water, (new) – Albert Watson, Woman, Portrait
By Albert Watson
Located in Zurich, CH
ALBERT WATSON (*1942, Scotland) Kate Moss Abstract, Reflection on Water, (new) 1993 Archival pigment print Sheet 142 x 107 cm (55 7/8 x 42 1/8 in....
Archival Pigment
$4,500
H 16 in W 24 in
"Marilyn Monroe, 1962" Photography 16 x 24 in Edition 57/75 by Lawrence Schiller
By Lawrence Schiller
Located in Culver City, CA
"Marilyn Monroe, 1962" Photography 16 x 24 in Edition 57/75 by Lawrence Schiller Silver Gelatin print Edition 57/75 Signed and numbered by the artist Printed later On Wednesday, May 23, 1962, Marilyn Monroe stepped onto the set of Something’s Got to Give to film what would become one of the most iconic and talked-about moments of her career: the now-legendary nude swimming pool scene. This extraordinary day—captured in a series of rare photographs by renowned photographer Lawrence Schiller—has since become a cornerstone of Hollywood history. Key moments that make this session truly historic: A Bold Cinematic First: Monroe spent nearly four hours in the pool on the 20th Century Fox lot, filming a sequence in which her character, Ellen Arden, appears to swim nude...
Silver Gelatin
$3,850
H 40 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
"Caroline (LED)" (FRAMED) Photography 40" x 30" in Edition of 3 by Larsen Sotelo
By Larsen Sotelo
Located in Culver City, CA
"Caroline (LED)" (FRAMED) Photography 40" x 30" in Edition of 3 by Larsen Sotelo Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. FRAMED Giclee (Archival Ink...
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
$7,500
H 24 in W 16 in
"Marilyn Monroe, 1962" Photography 24 x 16 in Edition 3/35 by Lawrence Schiller
By Lawrence Schiller
Located in Culver City, CA
"Marilyn Monroe, 1962" Photography 24 x 16 in Edition 3/35 by Lawrence Schiller Silver Gelatin print Edition 3/35 Signed and numbered on recto by the artist Printed later On Wednesday, May 23, 1962, Marilyn Monroe stepped onto the set of Something’s Got to Give to film what would become one of the most iconic and talked-about moments of her career: the now-legendary nude swimming pool scene. This extraordinary day—captured in a series of rare photographs by renowned photographer Lawrence Schiller—has since become a cornerstone of Hollywood history. Key moments that make this session truly historic: A Bold Cinematic First: Monroe spent nearly four hours in the pool on the 20th Century Fox lot, filming a sequence in which her character, Ellen Arden, appears to swim nude...
Silver Gelatin
$2,950
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Warmth" Figurative Photography 36" x 24" in Limited Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Warmth" Figurative Photography 36" x 24" in Limited Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. Archival Giclee Print NOT fram...
Archival Pigment
$5,000
H 24 in W 16 in
"Marilyn Monroe, 1962" Photography 24 x 16 in Edition 40/75 by Lawrence Schiller
By Lawrence Schiller
Located in Culver City, CA
"Marilyn Monroe, 1962" Photography 24 x 16 in Edition 40/75 by Lawrence Schiller Silver Gelatin print Edition 40/75 Signed and numbered on recto by the artist Printed later On Wednesday, May 23, 1962, Marilyn Monroe stepped onto the set of Something’s Got to Give to film what would become one of the most iconic and talked-about moments of her career: the now-legendary nude swimming pool scene. This extraordinary day—captured in a series of rare photographs by renowned photographer Lawrence Schiller—has since become a cornerstone of Hollywood history. Key moments that make this session truly historic: A Bold Cinematic First: Monroe spent nearly four hours in the pool on the 20th Century Fox lot, filming a sequence in which her character, Ellen Arden, appears to swim nude...
C Print
Francesca Woodman, Providence, RI
By George Lange
Located in New York, NY
Francesca Woodman in Providence, Rhode Island (1976) photographed by George Lange. 14 x 11" archival pigment print 21 x 17 x 2" frame with UV plexgias Edition 2 of 10, signed and e...
Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$2,950
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Embrace" Figurative Photography 36" x 24" in Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Embrace" Figurative Photography 36" x 24" in Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. Archival Giclee Print NOT framed. Shi...
Archival Pigment
$2,950
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Pom Pom" Color Photograph 36" x 24" in Limited Edition 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Pom Pom" Color Photograph 36" x 24" in Limited Edition 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist Archival Giclee Print NOT framed....
Archival Pigment
$2,950
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Meditations" Nude Photograph 36 x 24 in Limited Edition of 7 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Meditations" Nude Photograph 36 x 24 in Limited Edition of 7 by Aaron Mcpolin Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist Archival Giclee Print NOT frame...
Archival Pigment
$2,950
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Guided" Figurative Photograph 36" x 24" in Limited Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Guided" Figurative Photograph 36" x 24" in Limited Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. Archival Giclee Print NOT frame...
Archival Pigment
Francesca Woodman, Providence, RI
By George Lange
Located in New York, NY
Francesca Woodman in Providence, Rhode Island (1976) photographed by George Lange. 14 x 11" archival pigment print 21 x 17 x 2" frame with UV plexgias Edition 2 of 10, signed and e...
Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$3,800
H 40 in W 30 in
"The Glimmer Twins - Mick Jagger" Photography 40x30 in by Charlie Auringer
By Charlie Auringer
Located in Culver City, CA
"The Glimmer Twins - Mick Jagger" Photography 40x30 in by Charlie Auringer Year: 1978 Edition of 50 Medium: Silver gelatin limited edition photographic print on paper Signed and num...
Silver Gelatin
Sophia Lauren Exposed
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Sophia Lauren Exposed, 1955 Gelatin Silver Print 20.25" x 16" Unique: $4725 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio Sig...
Silver Gelatin
Boris Karloff, New York
By Ormond Gigli
Located in Lenox, MA
Ormond Gigli Boris Karloff, New York (1963) Gelatin Silver Print 17.75" x 17" Unique: $3225 Provenance: Printed by the artist, from the artist's studio ...
Silver Gelatin
Sold
H 31 in W 31 in
Girls in the Windows, Contemporary Fashion Photography, Edition of 75
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New york, NY
Girls in the Windows, 1960 by Ormond Gigli, is 31" x 31" (image size), with 2.5" borders (36" x 36" sheet size) in an edition of 75. It is an archival pigment print, signed by the photographer and numbered on recto (front of photo) in ink (on lower right margin) with title/date (on lower left margin). Print Provenance: artist's archive. Edition numbers available: 69/75 and 63/75. Girls in the Windows is one of the most collectible photographs...
Photographic Film, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Sold
H 45 in W 45 in
Girls in the Window, 1960 by Ormond Gigli, archival pigment print
By Ormond Gigli
Located in New york, NY
Girls in the Window, 1960 by Ormond Gigli, is in an edition of 30, with a 39 x 39 image size, 45" x 45" paper size - there are only a few remaining photographs in the edition of 3...
Photographic Film, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment