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London auction house Bonhams has collaborated with Farleys House & Gardens Galleries – Home of the Surrealists – to present an exhibition about the Surrealist, fashion photographer, model and pioneering war correspondent Lee Miller (1907-1977) to New Bond Street.
Miller was renowned as a force of nature who had an exceptional career. Yet, for a long time, it remained hidden – even from her son – with all of her negatives and photographs stored away in the attic at her home, Farleys in East Sussex.
Since her powerful images came to light, her son Antony Penrose and granddaughter Ami Bouhassane have worked to ensure her legacy lives on. Last year the first narrative movie about her life during the war, LEE starring Kate Winslet, who was also one of the producers on the film, was released by Sky, with Winslet recently being nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.
The exhibition, curated by Ami Bouhassane and producer of LEE Kate Solomon, pairs Lee Miller’s iconic war photographs with their counterparts from the 2024 feature film. The exhibition will run from 13-24 January (10am-4pm including weekends) at Bonhams New Bond Street, London.
‘Lee and LEE’ showcases comparative images of Lee Miller’s wartime reporting alongside photographs of meticulously researched scenes recreated for the film by official photographer for LEE, Kimberley French.
The exhibition will also feature photographs by Kate Winslet taken on set using a Rolleiflex camera, built specially as a replica of Lee Miller’s own camera at Farleys.
Having been on view in the Lee Miller Gallery at Farleys in Sussex over the summer, this is the first time the exhibition will travel to London, and it will also include props from the film and items owned by Lee Miller. These will include Lee’s own wartime uniform, as well as the uniform from the film and special stunt camera, costumes created by Michael O’Connor, a prop typewriter and WWII Land Rover, amongst other objects.
India Phillips, Bonhams Managing Director, UK, said: “Bonhams is thrilled to bring this exhibition to New Bond Street. Lee Miller was such a pioneering figure with an incredible force of spirit and keen photographic eye. The film LEE has helped further solidify her legacy as not only a Surrealist icon, but also an exceptional war photographer, determined to show the world the truth of the conflict. We’re delighted to be partnering with Farleys to ensure her work continues to reach new audiences as well as her many admiring fans.”
Antony Penrose, co-Director of Farleys House and Gallery and Lee Miller’s son, commented: “Other attempts to make a feature film about Lee had failed in the past, but this one succeeded mainly due to Kate Winslet’s vision and determination. It owes much of its force and integrity to being a film about a woman made by women.”
Expressing her admiration for Miller, Kate Winslet, in a foreword for the recent publication Lee Miller Photographs, commented: “There are so many stories of girls to whom things happened. Lee Miller was a woman who made things happen. I don’t mind admitting I adore her.” Additionally, when writing from the film set, Winslet added: “This photographer-writer-reporter did everything she did with love, lust, and courage, and is an inspiration for what you can achieve, and what you can bear, if you dare to take life firmly by the hands and live it at full throttle. Her legacy is extraordinary.”
LEE tells the story of American photographer and Surrealist icon Lee Miller (Winslet), and in particular the part she played during the Second World War. Determined to document the truth of the Nazi regime, and in spite of the odds stacked against female correspondents, Lee captured some of the most important images of World War II, but at an enormous personal price. Lee Miller’s incredible archive of images from this time remained undiscovered at Farleys until after her death.
