Bardot and the paparazzi

And God created Brigitte Bardot – or rather, the paparazzi did. The original sexy French actress is the star of this exhibition which focuses on her role as dream fodder for photographers. Shots of Bardot on set and about town not only shaped her own image but fuelled the public’s growing obsession with celebrity and brought about a new relaxed aesthetic to female glamour. Men like Tazio Secchiaroli (immortalised as Paparazzo in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita) would trawl the streets of 1960s Rome pursuing the intimate shots that the public craved, creating a whole new style of photography in the process. Not just about a pretty face, these images are a testament to the extraordinary power of publicity.