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The young American starts out as a model in New York in the 1920s. Lee Miller immediately appears on the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair. Later on she moves to Paris, where she meets Man Ray, a star in the art world, with whom she works together artistically, especially in the field of surrealism. She continues to earn the money for living as a model. Then happens the significant change of her role: Lee Miller also takes up the camera. From a standing start, her great career as a photographer begins. In retrospect, it is a unique success story – albeit with tragic moments.
Exclusive insights: Interview with Lee Miller’s son Antony Penrose and his daughter Ami Bouhassane
Two special guests were invited to the opening of the exhibition. I meet Lee Miller’s son Antony Penrose and his daughter Ami Bouhassane. Both look after the artistic work and the estate of Lee Miller – where the photographer last lived for a long time: In East Sussex, south of London.
The photo shows Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth with Antony Penrose and Ami Bouhassane at the opening.
A note about the photographs we talked about here in the podcast. For copyright reasons I can not show all the pictures here. However, most of the pictures can be seen on the web. Check it out!
The war years – Lee Miller documents the horrors as a reporter
The year 1939: fashion and portrait photographer Lee Miller works as a journalist and war reporter. She documents the German attacks on London – where she lives at the time with artist Ronald Penrose, her future husband. Then she goes to Germany: legendary is the photo of her in Hitler’s bathtub – we will talk about that and about the horror in the concentration camps. Lee Miller was one of the first to take photographs of the Germans’ atrocities there. These pictures are on display in the exhibition in a separate room.
Lee Miller’s photographs from London during war time
The war years had psychological consequences: Today we call it post-traumatic stress disorder – In Lee Miller’s case, it was depression; she frequently resorted to alcohol. And this brings us in conversation to the sexual abuse she suffered as a 7 year old, which was never talked about. In the interview, Antony Penrose shares his very personal thoughts about his mother, and about their difficult relationship.
The new life at Farleys House
When the artist is around 50, a different, new life begins – at Farleys House in East Sussex, south of London – without a camera, because it ends up in the attic.
Lee Miller remained creative – she began cooking at a high level – a gourmet cook, with imaginative recipes – who often invited her artist friends, Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Man Ray sat at the table.
Lee Miller.
Fotografin zwischen Krieg und Glamour (Photographer between war and glamour)
Bucerius Art Forum
10.6. – 24.9.2023
Curator:
Dr. Kathrin Baumstark, Director Bucerius Kunst Forum
Karin Grimme and Daniel Blochwitz (Co-Curator)
Here is the link to the Bucerius Kunst Forum:
Lee Miller Bucerius Kunst Forum
Copyright notice: All black and white photographs by Lee Miller are the property of: Lee Miller Archives, England
Here is the link to the Lee Miller Archives, East Sussex, England
Here is the link to Farleys House in East–Sussex, England
Comments by Kay Dethlefs