Francesco Scavullo
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Francesco Scavullo (January 16, 1921 – January 6, 2004) was a American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan Magazine and his celebrity portraits.
Soon, Scavullo began to pursue his fascination with images of beauty by picking up his father's camera and taking snapshots, using his sisters as models.
After graduating from high school in 1945, Scavullo began working for a studio that produced fashion catalogs. He soon moved on to Vogue magazine. Scavullo spent three years as Horst's assistant, studying Horst's techniques. The editors signed Scavullo, who remained with the magazine for two years and during which time, he was able to travel for photo shoots.
Following his first cover, Scavullo's father bought him a Manhattan carriage house that Scavullo eventually converted into a home and studio.
Some of Scavullo's more controversial work included a Comospolitan centerfold of a nude Burt Reynolds, and photographs of a young Brooke Shields that some considered overly sexual. He also befriended a young teenager from Philadelphia, future supermodel Gia Carangi, whose career he was largely responsible for launching. Later, when Carangi's heroin addiction made it impossible for her to find work, Scavullo continued to employ her and support her until her eventual death from complications relating to AIDS.
Scavullo also created shots for various movie posters, album covers and Broadway shows, including one for A Star is Born (featuring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson), as well as a portrait of Julie Andrews for Blake Edwards' Victor Victoria and a cover portrait of Shirley Bassey for her 1978 album "The Magic Is You". In 1981, Scavullo was commissioned by Mikhail Baryshnikov to photograph the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre which formed the basis of an exhibition that was later shown in a nationwide tour.
He died of heart failure at the age of 82, while on his way to a photo shoot with a then up-and-coming CNN news anchor, Anderson Cooper.
Scavullo's work has also been used in the covers of Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Vogue, and he published several books, from 1976's Scavullo on Beauty to 2000's Scavullo Nudes.
