Firooz Zahedi, B. 1949, IRANIAN
ELIZABETH TAYLOR DRESSED AS AN ODALISQUE II, 1976
Chromogenic print
122 by 91.5cm.; 36 by 48in.
Private collection
An odalisque was a chambermaid or a female attendant in a Turkish seraglio,
particularly the court ladies in the household of the Ottoman sultan. An
odalık was not a concubine of the harem, but a maid, although it was possible
that she could become one. An odalık was ranked at the bottom of the social
stratification of a harem, serving not the man of the household, but rather,
his concubines and wives as personal chambermaids. Odalık were usually slaves
given as gifts to the sultan by wealthy Turkish men. Generally, an odalık was
never seen by the sultan but instead remained under the direct supervision of
his mother, the Valide Sultan. More
on An odalisque
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty with which she captured audiences early on in her youth and kept the world hooked on with since.
Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England. Although she was born an English subject, her parents were Americans, art dealers from St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother had been an actress on the stage. Elizabeth lived in London until the age of seven, when the family left for the US when the clouds of war began brewing in Europe in 1939.
The family relocated to Los Angeles. A family friend noticed the strikingly beautiful little Elizabeth and suggested that she be taken for a screen testt. Her first foray onto the screen was in There's One Born Every Minute (1942).
Throughout the 1950s, Elizabeth appeared in film after film with mostly good results. Her busiest year was 1954.
Upon the death of her friend, actor Rock Hudson, in 1985, she began her crusade on the behalf of AIDS sufferers. In the 1990s, she also developed a successful series of scents. In her later years, her acting career was relegated to the occasional TV-movie or TV guest appearance.
Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011 in Los Angeles, from congestive heart failure. More on Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
Firooz Zahedi (born 1949) is an American photographer of Iranian descent. His family moved to England where he received his secondary education. In 1969 he came to the US to attend Georgetown University in Washington DC. He graduated with a degree in Foreign Service in 1973.
After graduation, Zahedi served briefly as a diplomat for the former government of Iran but resigned to go to the Corcoran School of Art from which he received a degree in visual communication in 1976.
While at art school he began photographing for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and served as its Washington DC correspondent.
In May 1976 he met and became friends with Elizabeth Taylor and soon after they traveled together to Iran. The photographs from that trip, which included the actress dressed in local tribal costumes. In 1978 he accompanied Elizabeth Taylor to Hollywood as her personal photographer on the set of the film Return Engagement.
He settled in Los Angeles to pursue his photographic career as a photographer.
His editorial work has appeared internationally on the covers of such magazines as Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Town & Country, Glamour, In Style, Time, Architectural Digest and Entertainment Weekly. More on Firooz Zahedi
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