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Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8)Hand-signed by the artist Silvano (Nano) Campeggi, lower left. An incredibly rare piece of Hollywood motion picture history. This image appeared mainly on promotions for the Butterfield 8 European releases (1960-1961), often with a vertical pink, candy-stripe background.
Campeggi first met Elizabeth Taylor while illustrating for the motion picture “Giant” (with James Dean, 1955), although he also did the poster art for the European releases (1949-50) of her first “blockbuster movie, National Velvet (1944). From that time a strong friendship developed between Nano, his wife Elena and Elizabeth Taylor, to the point where, when Elena became pregnant, she received the loan of Taylor’s maternity clothes.
In the years that followed, Taylor was to turn in three spectacular “leading lady” performances, each worthy of an Oscar. For each of the films “Raintree County” (1957), “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”(1958) and “Suddenly Last Summer”(1959), Taylor had been nominated for Best Actress. But “Butterfield 8” came at a time when Taylor had little appetite for filming – the disappointment of not winning the Oscar three years running, combined with a year of mourning the untimely death of her third husband, Michael Todd, combined with health issues made her wish for a break from filming. However, she was obligated to complete one more film before her MGM contract came to an end – thus “Butterfield 8” and her Oscar for Best Actress of 1960. Approx dimensions H.25in. X W.27in; H.63.5cm X W. 68.5cm.
See also dedicated website: www.silvanocampeggi.com |
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