Unseen Hurrell:  Classics and Rediscovered Photographs from the Collections of the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences

January 9 – March 18, 2001

The name George Hurrell became synonymous with the glamorous and seductive photographs from the Hollywood studios of the 1930s and 40s. The brash young photographer set the mood for the film industry, capturing the stars of the era with dramatic settings and innovative lighting and camera techniques. Working with M.G.M., Warner Brothers, and Columbia Studios, Hurrell created the most memorable photographs of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, and Jane Russell. This exhibition of black-and-white photographs, showed his “publicity stills” as a skillful adaptation combining art and commerce. Hurrell would say that he tried to “bring out the best, conceal the worst, and leave something to the imagination.” These images helped create the illusions that softened the realities of the Depression and World War II, and sustained the public through the establishment of the television era. This exhibition was from the Collections of the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in Los Angeles.