100 Iconic Photographs - A Retrospective

“A truly iconic photograph is timeless - something that is valued, honored and treasured long after the photo was taken,” Ron Galella writes in the book's introduction. This 160-page hardcover volume includes eighty-seven black & white and thirteen color photographs of Ron’s most iconic images, gloriously reproduced for the first time in one volume. Some rarely seen, culled from his unprecedented archive. The book features behind-the-scenes, never before revealed stories of some of his most famous images, including a touching passage by May Pang recollecting the night the cover photo of John Lennon and Mick Jagger, (with Ms. Pang) was taken. The image may also be the last professional photograph taken of the two music icons before Lennon's tragic death. Ron’s nearly six-decade career spans generations, ushering out the old Hollywood studio guard system including Ava Gardner, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Liz Taylor, Bridget Bardot, Sophia Loren and transitions to the rough and tumble mavericks of the 60s and 70’s-Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Criss-crossing between the East and West coasts, with numerous stops around the world in-between, Ron amassed millions of photographs of every conceivable type of celebrity - film, television, music, supermodels, athletes, politicians, business moguls, artists, and innovators. They’re all here: Elvis, Princess Diana, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Jackie Onassis, Muhammad Ali with Joe Lewis, Sammy Davis and Jerry Lewis, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Simon & Garfunkel, a 5-year-old Angelina Jolie clinging to her father Jon Voight’s leg, all caught candidly in Ron’s unique, spontaneous, off-guard style - the paparazzi approach. Many are exclusive. His two most popular images - Windblown Jackie and the Lennon and Jagger photo gracing the book's cover have one thing in common: neither of the subjects knew they were being photographed. They are, according to Ron's manifesto, the perfect Galella photographs, iconic people caught unrehearsed, spontaneous in his inimitable style. In 2016 Time Magazine proclaimed Windblown Jackie, “one of the most influential photos of all time.” The book - Galella’s 22nd - includes a foreword by Bob Ahern, Director of Getty Images Worldwide Archive Photography, and photographer Geoffrey Croft’s stunning color photographs detailing several historical artifacts Ron has saved and treasured over the years. Printed exclusively in Italy, it’s a sure bet that 100 Iconic Photographs will be a cornerstone of the Ron Galella bibliography and an impressive addition to every pop culture enthusiast and photography lover’s bookshelf! Galella, an U.S. Air Force veteran, celebrated his 90th birthday in January 2021.