David Wills Is Obsessed

Australian-born David Wills is an author, independent curator, photographic preservationist, and editor who has accrued one of the world’s largest independent archives of original photographs, negatives, and transparencies. He has contributed material to many publications and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.


David has produced a series of photography exhibitions based on images from his archive. His shows include ‘Murder, Models, Madness: Photographs from the Motion Picture Blow-Up,’ ‘Edie Sedgwick: Unseen Photographs of a Warhol Superstar,’ ‘Blonde Bombshell,’ ‘James Bond,’ ‘Women with Issues: Photographs from the Motion Picture Valley of the Dolls,’ and ‘Warhology.’



In 2002 David Wills photo-edited ‘Bernard of Hollywood’s Ultimate Pin-Up Book,’ in 2008 he co-authored ‘Veruschka,’ in 2010 he authored ‘Ara Gallant’ featuring an introduction by Angelica Huston, in 2011 he wrote ‘Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis,’ and in 2012 he authored ‘Audrey: The 60s.’



His books and exhibitions have received major profiles in the ‘Los Angeles Times,’ ‘The New York Times,’ ‘Vanity Fair,’ ‘American Photo,’ ‘Vogue,’ and ‘Time’ magazines. He has also written articles on photography and popular culture for publications including ‘The Huffington Post,’ ‘V Magazine,’ and ‘Palm Springs Life.’





AM:   How did you get started creating these photo books? What's your educational background?





DW:  As a kid I was OBSESSED with photo books. Some kids spend all their time at toy stores - I spent all mine at book stores.





AM:  What did you like so much about photo books?





DW: A photo book to me was like being able to hold an alternate universe in the palm of my hand. It was escape. I think most children are eager to grow up and explore the world at large, and until I was old enough, photo books were like a portal. I particularly loved anything that had to do with old movies. Later I went to college and studied a combination of journalism, business and psychology. I then left and worked at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. After moving to the States I started working as a photo editor for other people's books, and it developed from there.




AM:  Can you tell me how you came up with your BIG Veruschka book?



DW:  As a child I had seen her and Holger Trulzsch's book "Transfigurations" and was profoundly affected by it. At the time I had no knowledge of her iconic status as a model, I saw her only as this incredible artist. It wasn't until much later, after seeing ‘Blow-Up’, that I made the connection between "Vera Lehndorff" and "Veruschka". We finally met in Los Angeles in 2002. I of course said "Let's do a book". She said yes, Assouline said yes, and before you knew it we had a $500 coffee table book that is as BIG as a coffee table.





AM: You must have loved working with her.





DW: Working with her was a great experience. What really struck me was her perfectionism. She has an extraordinary eye for detail. During the editing process, if something was even just slightly modified, she would immediately notice it.





AM: Why did you decide to do a Marilyn Monroe book? What does your book have the others don't?





DW: There are a lot of books about Marilyn Monroe of course, and her private life has been approached from every conceivable angle, but I wanted to do something that celebrated her unique relationship with the camera, and particularly the way she evolved photographically during the 20 years of her adult life. The book has many classic images, most of which have been digitally restored, but also a wealth of previously unpublished material. Many photographers and estates - including Richard Avedon, Milton Greene, Sam Shaw, Willy Rizzo, to name a few, came together and allowed unseen work to be shown for the first time, so it really was a collaboration. We also went back to original sources, original camera negatives, original transparencies, vintage prints where possible. In some cases we were able to obtain rare dye transfer and carbro prints from her modeling career in the 1940s. As a result the quality of the book is exceptional.





AM:  I’m sure you have been collecting Marilyn photos for a while now haven’t you?





DW: I'd been collecting photography since I was a teenager, and Marilyn had always been a favorite. Most of the unseen material came from a combination of what I had and other photographer's archives.





AM:  Has the public seen every last photo of Marilyn by now?





DW: I'm always amazed at the fact that new images continue to surface. Her body of work is enormous. She was photographed by almost every major photographer in the world. Not only that, she pretty much said no to nobody. So if you went up to her on the street and politely asked to take her photo, chances are she would say yes.



AM:  Have you always been an Audrey Hepburn fan?





DW:  I had admired Audrey Hepburn of course, as anyone would, but I wouldn't say I was always a huge fan. That said, I certainly became a huge fan during the course of doing the book. As I really wanted to pay homage to her status as a 60s icon, I thought combining the two elements would be an interesting idea as it shows a transformation. She came out at a time when Hollywood was obsessed with the glamorzons - Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Hedy Lamarr, etc. And then of course her contemporaries were people like Monroe and Mansfield, so she really stood alone. In the 1950s she was a new type of cinema personality, stylish yet refreshingly casual. By the 1960s she had become much more sophisticated, everything about her seemed to breathe affluence. And by the mid to late 60s she really was a MOD icon, especially in films like ‘How to Steal a Million’ and ‘Two for the Road.’ She also blurred the line between actress and fashion model. Even the Grace Kellys and the Kim Novaks didn't have her Vogue distinction.





AM:  Fashion designers loved her didn’t they?





DW:  Of course her association with Givenchy solidified this. I think it's very interesting that her popularity is something that has really just exploded in the last 10 years. If product licensing is any indication, she really took over James Dean's spot, she's up there with Elvis and Marilyn.





AM:  Why do you think she remains so popular?





DW:  I think the reason for this popularity is that she's desperately needed, girls today don't have anyone to aspire to so they're looking back in time. Everything now of course is about shock value and pushing the envelope.





AM: Tell me about some of your upcoming books...





DW:  I just finished ‘Hollywood in Kodachrome’ about color photography in the 1940s. The film stock back then was the best in history - so vibrant, rich and clear. By the 1950s lesser and faster film stocks took over and the quality was never the same again. My next book will be on fashion and style in the 1970s. Not so much mainstream, more Warhol, Morrissey, Bowie, Debbie Harry, Eyes of Laura Mars, etc.





AM:  Are people today fascinated with the 60's styles?





DW:  I certainly am. You have to consider the impact of a decade in relation to when it happened - not in retrospect, if that makes sense. By the 1960s, never in history were aesthetics so stripped back to their basic line and form. The result was visually explosive. Our current obsession with nostalgia is to the detriment of all advancement in the arts, but we take such comfort in it.



AM:  Do you miss the culture of Australia?




DW:  To be honest, the difference in culture is very minor and that's one of the main reasons I enjoy living in Los Angeles. Americans in the coastal areas of California are very much like Australians. We all have a dedication to the casual that never leaves you.





AM:  Who do you think is a star of today that will have a big picture book at some point?




DW:  None of them I'm afraid.





AM:  Does anyone today remind you of Marilyn, Audrey or Mamie?





DW: No, not even close.





AM:  Do you want to do anything else professionally?





DW:  No, I love writing and photo editing books. It's nice to get out of bed in the morning and enjoy what you do to pay the rent.