Beauty Through Art
Art historian Katy Hessel traces how art has shaped, and been shaped by, our ideas of beauty across time.
In 1950s and '60s London, Pop was reshaping art — a movement built on advertising, celebrity and mass media that turned consumer culture itself into subject matter. And Pauline Boty was the ultimate Pop woman: an artist, actress, TV star, radio commentator and more.
Her paintings fused the glamour of 1960s life while also addressing pop and political commentary, capturing the likes of Marilyn Monroe in a shimmering silver dress, or John-Paul Belmondo surrounded by roses and love hearts.
Boty's blend of glamour and political commentary set the tone for a beauty culture that still doubles as a statement — and her blonde bombshell bob, also sported by Twiggy and Brigitte Bardot – is a look that continues to influence today.
Pauline Boty, The Only Blonde in the World (1963), Tate Britain, London. Image credit: © The Estate of Pauline Boty, courtesy of Whitford Fine Art
In 1950s and '60s London, Pop was reshaping art — a movement built on advertising, celebrity and mass media that turned consumer culture itself into subject matter. And Pauline Boty was the ultimate Pop woman: an artist, actress, TV star, radio commentator and more.
Her paintings fused the glamour of 1960s life while also addressing pop and political commentary, capturing the likes of Marilyn Monroe in a shimmering silver dress, or John-Paul Belmondo surrounded by roses and love hearts.
Boty's blend of glamour and political commentary set the tone for a beauty culture that still doubles as a statement — and her blonde bombshell bob, also sported by Twiggy and Brigitte Bardot – is a look that continues to influence today.
Pauline Boty, The Only Blonde in the World (1963), Tate Britain, London. Image credit: © The Estate of Pauline Boty, courtesy of Whitford Fine Art
Pauline Boty by Michael Seymour (1962), Collection of National Portrait Gallery, London © Michael Seymour
Gigi Hadid for Moschino FW18. Image credit: Victor Virgile/Getty Images
