Brigitte Bardot, 1959, Sam Lévin

In 1935, Sam Lévin’s photographs for Georges Lacombe’s film, Les époux scandaleux, published in Cinémonde, were an immediate success: his career as a film-set photographer had been launched. He would go on to work with the most prestigious directors, above all Jean Renoir, for whom he photographed three masterpieces: La Grande Illusion, La Bête Humaine and La Règle du Jeu. His renown had now become international, allowing him to work with the Cinecittà studios and also with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, a major film studio in the USA. Thanks to the enthusiasm attracted by his photographs, Sam Lévin opened a large studio on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, where he specialised in portraits. This artist, who was highly innovative in his techniques and his ideas, sculpted the light, modelled faces and introduced flat tints. Ava Gardner, Michèle Morgan, Ingrid Bergman and, above all, Brigitte Bardot were among his loyal clients.

Ready to be framed