Off-guard, Beautiful People Unveiled Before the Camera Lens, Signed by Ron Galella
[Signed by Ron Galella] Galella, Ron. Off-guard, Beautiful People Unveiled Before the Camera Lens. Second Edition. 1983. Book is inscribed on the flyleaf, “To Rae, Ron Galella, June 21, 00.” Introduction by Bruce Jay Friedman.
Ron Galella is to paparazzi what Jacqueline Kennedy is to first ladies—an analogy she might dislike, because he (and his camera) was her nemesis. Like Mrs. Onassis, however, Galella is in a class all alone. He might have been a paparazzo, but he was also an artist. Sure, his celebrity quarry were undoubtedly displeased when he leapt out of the bushes or gave chase by car. Yet, they were undoubtedly delighted by the resulting photos. He always made them look good. This early monograph of his work is comprised of all the celebrities that gave the 1970s its distinctive personality, including iconic politicians, glamorous jetsetters, headline-grabbing sports personalities, edgy musicians, and box-office champion actors.
“My aim is not to strip the celebrity of glamour by catching him unaware. On the contrary, I want to reveal the real glamour that I believe is natural to every celebrity—the essence that helped to make him a celebrity in the first place and that’s often masked once stardom is achieved.”
--Ron Galella