There They Were: The Riviera features glamorous scenes of the French and Italian coastline, taken by legendary American photographer George “Slim” Aarons, whose photos have been featured in bestselling books like Slim Aarons: Poolside, Slim Aarons: Once Upon a Time, and Slim Aarons: The Essential Collection, among others
For more than four decades, Slim Aarons circled the globe on editorial assignments, returning time and again to the cities, countries, and landscapes that captivated him. Across these journeys, he built an extraordinary body of work that reveals the nuanced stories of each region. His photographs give us an intimate vantage point into Aaron’s artistic perspective and the world as he saw it, and the Riviera stands at the heart of his legacy.
Italy was Aarons’s most visited destination outside the United States, a relationship that began during his service as a combat photographer in the war. When Life magazine offered him a position in its Rome bureau in 1948, he immediately said yes. Rome introduced him to the glamorous realm of celebrities, aristocrats, and cultural tastemakers, and it quickly became the place that transformed both his career and his eye. His landmark assignment for Holiday in the summer of 1954 further cemented his signature style and established the foundation of the work that would define him for generations. He spent time in France, too, photographing subjects in Saint-Tropez, Cannes, and other luxurious destinations. Within Aarons’s archive, the boxes of unpublished Riviera photographs are among the richest and most extensive. Spanning the entirety of his career, they offer a treasure trove of untold stories and unseen moments.
There They Were: The Riviera is a stunning collection of Aarons’s work straddling Italy and France, with lush summertime images of the coasts and valleys that the region is known for. Sunbathers, wine drinkers, sailors, and more converge in this large format book, perfect for collectors of all things Slim Aarons.
