[LargeFormat] Photographer Francesco Scavullo Dead at 81

[Richard Knoppow]

 Jan 6, 8:16 PM EST

                  Photographer Francesco Scavullo Dead at 81

                  By MADISON J. GRAY
                  Associated Press Writer


                  NEW YORK (AP) -- Fashion photographer
Francesco Scavullo, who shot covers for Cosmopolitan
magazine for more than 30 years, died Tuesday morning of
heart failure, his companion said. He was 81.

                  Scuvullo was preparing for an assignment
when he complained of feeling weak, and then collapsed, Sean
Byrne said.

                  Known for works ranging from
enamel-on-canvas photo silkscreens to portraits of
celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor,
Scavullo was also recognized for his photographs of
children. One of the most famous was his 1975 portrait of a
young Brooke Shields.

                  Byrne said his partner's work was guided
by his love of beauty and children - themes Scavullo himself
cited in a 1985 interview with The Associated Press.

                  "I have a passion for taking pictures of
beautiful women," he said in the interview. "I was
fascinated when my mother got done up. My mother made the
transformation from Cinderella every day of her life."


                  Born Jan. 16, 1921, on Staten Island,
Scavullo was one of five children whose father owned the old
Central Park Casino. As a youth he got a job assisting the
fashion photographer, Horst, and learned much of his craft
from him.

                  He later worked for Vogue and Seventeen
magazines before launching a lucrative and lengthy career
that included photographing covers for Cosmopolitan,
Harper's Bazaar and other magazines. At the peak of his
career he commanded as much as $10,000 a sitting.

                  "He was one of the most generous people I
ever met in my life," Byrne said. "He helped a lot of needy
people and never mentioned it."

                  Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All
rights reserved.


---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com