Tom Kelley's Studio

The Godfather of Pin-Up. Kelley's stunning unseen nude photography. In 1948, celebrity photographer Tom Kelley took a photograph of an out of work actress; a nude posed with arm outstretched against a scarlet background. That actress was Marilyn Monroe. A few years later, this photo became Playboy's first ever centrefold in its inaugural issue in 1953. Kelley's photograph has become one of the most viewed nudes in history and, as Norman Mailer wrote, is 'breathtakingly beautiful'. This is just one photo from a vast, unseen archive of Kelley's visionary colour nude photography of the 1940s-60s. This exquisite volume offers a complete first look at this sumptuous nude photography.