Face to Face: The Photographs of Camilla McGrath

Italian journalist Di Robilant showcases the lives of the rich and famous in this spectacular collection of images from the personal archives of Italian countess Camilla McGrath (1925–2007). McGrath and her husband, Earl—at various times a screenwriter, record producer, and art curator—had an outsized social life, and the sheer number of celebrities who passed through their orbit is mind-boggling. Among the photographs are ones capturing Jackie Kennedy lounging by a pool, Andy Warhol smiling alongside his dachshund Archie, and vacation shots with Princess Margaret and Bianca Jagger. As art dealer Beatrice Monti remembers of McGrath’s gift, “She was able to capture something of each one of us even in the middle of a party.” Di Robilant describes these get-togethers, recalling, “Lunch was served buffet-style and was very casual—you had to grab a seat on the couch in a hurry or you’d be left standing with your plate and your wineglass. The atmosphere was convivial, lighthearted, unpretentious—it was just a cool place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon.” These spellbinding photos will beguile photographers, artists, and those enamored of the glamour of a bygone era. (Oct.)