George Hurrell  (American, 1904-1992) 

George Hurrell (American, 1904–1992) was a photographer best known for his portraits of Hollywood movie stars. Born in Kentucky, Hurrell developed an early interest in painting and photography, eventually studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. Hurrell initially used photography as a way of documenting his paintings but soon began to use it as his preferred medium. In 1930, he was hired as head of the photography department for the film company MGM. While working at MGM, he was put in charge of capturing the Hollywood stars, many of whom became his clientele base when he left MGM to open up his own studio. Throughout his career Hurrell photographed numerous celebrities for movie marketing purposes, advertisements, and fashion magazines. His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and the Getty Museum, Los Angeles.