Dorchester Collection’s 45 Park Lane has announced its first art exhibition for 2025: Icons of the Silver Screen: Legends, Moments, and Memories. Curated by Lily Ackerman of Ackerman Studios in collaboration with fine art photography gallery Iconic Images. Coinciding with award season, the exhibition will showcase works by celebrated photographers who have captured cinema’s most legendary figures. 

Featured artists include Terry O’Neill, renowned for his portraits of stars including Frank Sinatra and Faye Dunaway. A highlight of the exhibition will be O’Neill’s image of Dunaway lounging at the Beverly Hills Hotel, 45 Park Lane’s sister property, following her 1977 Oscar win. Other highlights include Gered Mankowitz’s stunningly atmospheric Elizabeth Taylor portrait; Dafydd Jones’ Oscar party reportage; and pioneering fashion photographer Norman Parkinson’s definitive 1955 image of Audrey Hepburn. The exhibition also features work by Greg Brennan, Eve Arnold, Kevin Cummins, Eva Sereny, Milton H. Greene and Richard Corman, with portraits of award-winning legends such as Jack Nicholson and Sammy Davis Jr., offering guests and visitors a glimpse into the golden age of Hollywood. 

Lee Kelly, general manager at 45 Park Lane says: “Icons of the Silver Screen: Legends, Moments, and Memories brings together some of the most extraordinary photographs of the world’s greatest talents, offering a unique perspective on the stories behind these iconic images. This exhibition reflects our ongoing commitment to showcasing compelling artistic narratives, and we are thrilled to kick off 2025 with such a remarkable collection.”

Visitors will be invited to explore the stories behind the images, which will be detailed in a brochure accompanying the exhibition. Among these is the tale behind Terry O’Neill’s celebrated The Morning After, featuring Faye Dunaway at The Beverly Hills Hotel. O’Neill explained “I wanted to capture the moment she wakes up and it dawns on her that, overnight, she’s not only just become a star, but also a millionaire. I didn’t want the photo everyone else was doing: the actor holding the award, dazed.” O’Neill convinced her to meet him by the pool, the morning after her Oscar win. Faye arrived, sleepless, and posed amidst scattered newspapers announcing her victory. With a few quick snaps, an iconic image was born. Often imitated, The Morning After is one of the defining images of Hollywood.

Kevin Cummins, who photographed Liza Minnelli at The Dorchester in 1989 for New Musical Express, recalls, “When I told [Liza] we’d use the fading light from the window to illuminate the shot, she was relieved; the previous visitors had brought big lights and a crowd of people who only got in the way. I stood on a table in front of her and she just looked at me through the lens, exactly as I’d envisioned. I shot it with the lens wide open; to get a shallow depth of field so the focus was very much on her eyes.” Liza seemed surprised when the shoot ended so soon and asked Cummins to stay for a cup of tea and a chat.

Other anecdotes, such as Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold’s interaction as well as Greg Brennan’s chance meeting with Lady Gaga, will be available upon request. Guests and visitors of 45 Park Lane will be able to enjoy the exhibition, displayed throughout the public areas of the hotel, until April 20, 2025. 

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