George Hurrell, "Jean Harlow", MGM, 1933. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Clarence Sinclair Bull, "Gary Cooper", MGM, 1934/printed c. 1980. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

George Hurrell, 'Clark Gable and Joan Crawford for “Dancing Lady”', MGM, 1933. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Ernest Bachrach, "Katharine Hepburn", RKO, 1935. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Parrish, Fred (attributed to), 'Vivien Leigh for “Gone With The Wind'", MGM, 1939. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Robert Coburn, "Rita Hayworth for 'Gilda'”, Columbia Pictures, 1946. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Scotty Welbourne, "Humphrey Bogart for 'High Sierra'”, Warner Brothers, 1940. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Photographer Unknown, "Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan for 'The Kid'”, Charles Chaplin Productions, 1921. Platinum print from the original negative, Printed in 2008. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

Ernest Bachrach, "Marilyn Monroe", RKO, 1952. Platinum print from the original negative, Printed in 2007. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

John Miehle, "Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for 'Swing Time'”, RKO, 1936. Platinum print from the original negative, Printed in 2007. Courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation.

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 The exhibition Made in Hollywood: Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation first appeared at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art from July 12 – October 5, 2008.  Almost exactly four years later, the exhibition continues to live on, recently opening at its seventh venue at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Celebrating the finest portrait and still photography produced during Hollywood’s Golden Age – 1920 to 1960 – the exhibition showcases 94 photographs, drawn from the London-based archive of the late author and collector John Kobal.  Kobal was the first collector who sought to understand the vital role that photographers played in the creation of stars, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art was the first to recognize this work as more than mere Hollywood memorabilia―but an art form in its own right.

Through the skill and invention of these still camera artists, the faces of the Hollywood greats were memorialized in silver, delighting movie-goers generation after generation.  Dramatic lighting, unique camera angles, and deft retouching created icons of glamour – Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly, and gorgeous, yet manly, heroes ―Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, and Rock Hudson.   They were “Made in Hollywood” and transformed into gods and goddesses, worshipped by adoring fans throughout the world.

Similarly, the Made in Hollywood exhibition continues to be adored on an international scale. The following are the venues where this presentation has left its mark…with more to come in 2013:

Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN (May 2009 – September 2009)

Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH (June 20120 – September 2010)

Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL (December 2010 – March 2011)

National Portrait Gallery, London (July 2011 – October 2011)

Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia (December 2011 – March 2012)

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (October 2012 – January 2013)