“I
1950 Hepburn, shot by Angus McBean Hepburn as Holly Golightly in by Howell Conant, on the cover of believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles,” said Oscar-winning actress, Audrey Hepburn.
Having acted in only 27 feature films, the legendary Hepburn cast a spell on Hollywood: Who could forget that scene in Breakfast At Tiffany’s, sitting on a windowsill by the fire escape, singing “Moon River”? How she dazzled with captivating dance moves alongside Fred Astaire in Funny Face, and broke hearts in Roman Holiday as she chose duty over love next to Gregory Peck.
Her star quality soared beyond cinema lights; Hepburn was one of the first Unicef ambassadors and utilised her fame to draw attention to the starving, famine-stricken children of Africa. She herself worked tirelessly to help them in every way she could until she succumbed to cancer in 1993.
With her awe-inspiring achievements in mind, the National Portrait Gallery celebrates her marvellous life in a new exhibition. ‘Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon’ coincides with the 65th anniversary of Hepburn’s career-changing performance at West End night club Ciro’s, the very spot currently occupied by the gallery’s archive. The exhibition will showcase rarely seen snapshots by famous photographers, including Norman Parkinson, Richard Avedon, and Angus McBean alongside treasured images from the Hepburn family. ‘Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon’ is at the National Portrait Gallery from July 2 until October 18. www.npg.org.uk
1952, Erwin Blumenfeld 1954 An arresting image by Cecil Beaton
1954