Past Exhibitions

Vanity Fair 1983 to present

In 1936, Vanity Fair suspended publication. In the early 1980s, the vibrant cosmopolitan spirit of the time persuaded Condé Nast Publications to resurrect the magazine. Once again, the magazine succeeded in immortalizing the newsmakers of the day - individuals of talent, stature and accomplishment who were firmly embedded in the popular culture.

This section of the exhibition reveals images of the modern world’s leading portrait photographers, among them Helmut Newton, Nan Goldin, Herb Ritts, Harry Benson, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber and especially Annie Leibovitz, the magazine’s chief photographer.

Vanity Fair’s iconic photographs continue to make news. Post-1983 cover images include a very pregnant Demi Moore (1991), a formal portrait of President George W. Bush’s Afghan War Cabinet (2002) and, recently, actresses Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley photographed nude (2006). Exclusive to the ROM is a Jonathan Becker portrait of Lord Conrad Black with his wife, Barbara Amiel.

Top image credits: Liza Minelli by Mary Ellen Mark, 2001. © Mary Ellen Mark. Jean Harlow by George Hurrell, 1934. © Condé Nast Publications Inc./Courtesy Condé Nast Archive.