The Derujinsky years (1950–1968)
Gleb Derujinsky’s 18-year career at Harper’s bazaar spanned from 1950 to 1968 and during that time produced some of the classic images of the era. Scouted by editor-in-chief Carmel Snow and art director Alexey Brodovitch, Derujinsky joined the elite group of photographers, including Richard Avedon, who shot for the magazine. Working closely with the then fashion editor Diana Vreeland, Derujinsky proved a pioneer in his field, creating stunning juxtapositions between European Haute Couture dresses and landscapes ranging from desert sands to car junkyards, fairgrounds and airports, all this at a time when air travel was yet to become as common as it is now. “Avedon shot dresses and clothes, Gleb shot women living in them”.
To mark the inauguration of Pan Am’s Boeing 707 in 1957, Derujinsky traveled to 11 countries in 25 days with Ruth Neumann with whom he had recently married. The latter would be his muse from the seaside harbors of China, to the Nara Deer Park in Japan, and throughout Thailand, Spain and Greece. The 1957 Paris Collections were the basis for a 25-page spread in Harper’s Bazaar featuring his photographs. “Gleb Derujinsky’s photographs evoke the best of Harper’s Bazaar: exquisitely beautiful, original, and instantly iconic images of a very fashionable life”.