In 2017, filmmaker Fritz Mitchell released a documentary about Aarons, called Slim Aarons: The High Life. [9] In the documentary it is revealed that Aarons was Jewish and grew up in conditions that were in complete contrast to what he told friends and family of his childhood. Aarons claimed that he was raised in New Hampshire, was an orphan, and had no living relations. After his death in 2006, his widow and daughter learned the truth that Aarons had grown up in a poor immigrant Yiddish-speaking family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. As a boy his mother was diagnosed with mental health issues and admitted to a psychiatric hospital, which caused him to be passed around among relatives. He resented and had no relationship with his father and had a brother, Harry, who would later commit suicide. Several documentary interviewees postulate that if Aarons's true origins had been known, his career would have been unlikely to succeed within the restricted world of celebrity and WASP privilege his photography glamorized. [ citation needed] Death [ edit ]

Wow! I discovered Slim Aarons after watching a documentary on his work. This photography coffee book is the stuff of dreams! In Italy, especially in the south, Il Riposino is that beautiful time after lunch when you rest. An hour is enough to let you recharge your spirit and be able to take on the rest of your day. Marina Rava, right, and Carla Vuccino, left, catch some rays on the stern of a sleek runabout in Capri, Italy, ca 1958 | Image by Slim Aarons At 18 years old, Aarons enlisted in the United States Army, worked as a photographer at the United States Military Academy, and later served as a combat photographer in World War II and earned a Purple Heart. Aarons said combat had taught him the only beach worth landing on was "decorated with beautiful, seminude girls tanning in a tranquil sun." [1]The sweet life is not just the pleasure of the senses but a philosophy of taking every hour of the day and savouring it. Slowing down and practising mindfulness provides a boost of happiness in the form of serotonin in the brain. Essential in a fast-paced world. Three men sitting outside a cafe in San Gimignano, Italy | Image by Thurston Hopkins

Aarons was born to Yiddish-speaking immigrants who had lived in a tenement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His father, Charlie Aarons (born Susman Aronowicz), distanced himself from the family; his mother, Stella Karvetzky, was sent to a sanitarium. Not knowing what had become of his parents, Aarons spent his boyhood at varying times with an aunt, at an orphanage, and with his grandmother and cousins in New Hampshire. [2] Photography career [ edit ]Aarons, Slim; Sweet, Christopher (2012). Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita (Getty Images). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419700606. Aarons died in 2006 in Montrose, New York, and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [1] Bibliography [ edit ]

Friedman, Alice T. (2010). American Glamour and the Evolution of Modern Architecture. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300116540. La Dolce Vita,. is a unique recipe for life that locals have been perfecting for centuries. Italians seem to know how to magically relish the simple, understated joys of life and make time to do nothing but stroll, discover, lounge, chat, and enjoy. Italianize yourself with our guide to pure bliss. The Bar Giamaica in Milan, Italy, ca 1950 Dolce Fare NienteItalians have mastered the art of embracing beauty in the every day — this doesn’t mean indulging in luxury or frivolously wasting time. Instead, it means appreciating the simple pleasures of life, the shared moments, the plum-hued wine that glistens in the Mediterranean sunlight, the way the light hits a bridge at dusk to the sound of church bells as you wander around the town. The seaside swimming pool at the Hotel Taormina, Sicily, ca 1975 | Image by Slim Aarons Embrace La Bella Figura This lavish volume of Slim Aarons photography revels in this photographer’s decades-long love affair with Italy. From breathtaking aerials of the Sicilian countryside to intimate portraits of celebrities and high society taken in magnificent villas, Slim La Dolce Vita captures the essence of “the good life.” Walker, Tonya (2008). "Rich, Attractive People In Attractive Places Doing Attractive Things". Virginia Commonwealth University. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help) MacDonell, Nancy (2007). In the Know: The Classic Guide to Being Cultured and Cool. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0143112600. Aarons, Slim (1974). A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life. Harper and Row. ISBN 978-0060100162.

Tracing a journey from the 1940s to the 1990s, Slim La Dolce Vita takes us to Italy’s fashionable resorts, to its magnificent historic cities and small atmospheric towns, and to glorious landscapes, all reflecting the pleasures of the Italian art of living. Here is a rare glimpse into the lives of the preeminent families’ formal and informal circumstances, photographed in their palaces and on their estates, at their vacation villas and favorite haunts. Handsome men are in tuxedoes. Voluptuous women wear their most glorious gowns. Families walk beautiful gardens. Aarons, Slim; Sweet, Christopher (2005). Slim Aarons: A Place in the Sun. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0810959354. Here is your chance to experience la dolce vita in this one-of-a-kind coffee table celebration of all things Italian. • Here is your chance to experience la dolce vita in this one-of-a-kind coffee table celebration of all things Italian. This lavish volume of Slim Aarons photography revels in this photographer’s decades-long love affair with Italy. From breathtaking aerials of the Sicilian countryside to intimate portraits of celebrities and high society taken in magnificent villas, Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita captures the essence of “the good life.”

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Tracing a journey from the 1940s to the 1990s, Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita takes us to Italy’s fashionable resorts, to its magnificent historic cities and small atmospheric towns, and to glorious landscapes, all reflecting the pleasures of the Italian art of living. Here is a rare glimpse into the lives of the preeminent families’ formal and informal circumstances, photographed in their palaces and on their estates, at their vacation villas and favorite haunts. Handsome men are in tuxedoes. Voluptuous women wear their most glorious gowns. Families walk beautiful gardens. La Bella Figura translates to The Beautiful Figure, which summarises the idea of always putting your best foot forward in how you dress & present yourself. Making a good impression is an integral part of Italian culture. Italians have a fierce appetite for the finer things in life — they dress to impress and look for aesthetics in every aspect of their lives. In Italy, style is more than just looking the part — you must live and breathe it. Fine fabrics and tailoring, worn with an air of refinement and sophistication, are a source of class and enjoyment to yourself and others. Film star Britt Ekland in Porto Ercole, Italy | Image by Slim Aarons Rathe, Adam (May 15, 2017). "An Exclusive Look at the New Slim Aarons Documentary". Town & Country. ISSN 0040-9952. Slim Aarons (born George Allen Aarons; October 29, 1916 – May 30, 2006) was an American photographer noted for his images of socialites, jet-setters and celebrities. His work principally appeared in Life, Town & Country, and Holiday magazines. [1] Early life [ edit ]