Photograph by David Yarrow “Palm Beach”. Limited edition. Available in 2 sizes and both Colour and B&W
Any photographic series on Palm Beach must surely pay homage to its two storied hotels: The Breakers and The Colony. Both landmark locations are tightly woven into the history of this idyllic community and have played host to legendary events. When Slim Aarons talked about “attractive people, doing attractive things in attractive places” he was giving a nod to these celebrated destinations.
From my eye, The Colony is less about what goes on within, whether it be the cocktail parties, the endless poolside conversations or the bingo nights, and more about the emphatic sense of place o ered by its storied pink façade. As much as any other hotel in the world, the entrance of The Colony is a microcosm of the community. The coral colour of the colonial style building and the green of
the palm trees fuse in that subtle alchemy that is Palm Beach and meanwhile, those who arrive at the hotel are doing so to have fun not work. The Colony is the ag bearer of “Team Palm Beach”.
I stayed at The Colony for a couple of nights before our shoot began and walked the nearby roads deliberating over what to do. The 1947 building is so tall and the entrance roads are so close to the building that it would be di cult to nd a spot to celebrate the institution and tell a foreground story.
But I realised there was one place on the bend of the road going southeast from Worth Avenue where I could get a car in the frame. The problem was that to get some space for my composition, the car would be going away from me. I mused over this riddle for a day and then, over an evening cocktail at the Colony, I found my solution.
The idea was solid, but we then had to execute it before the tra c became too steady. Frida Aasen – the Norwegian supermodel – played her role just as I asked and I walked along behind the slowly moving car.
I think this photograph does what I wanted it to do, just as the Colony Hotel does what its guests want it to do.
Yarrow's evocative and haunting photography is highly distinctive and has earned him a growing following among art collectors. His large monochrome images, created in Los Angeles, are exhibited in leading galleries and museums throughout Europe and North America. He is now considered one of the best-selling photographers in the world and his limited edition works regularly sell for high prices at Sotheby's and other auction houses.
David Yarrow was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1966. He took up photography at an early age and at the age of 20 worked as a photographer for the London Times on the pitch of the World Cup final in Mexico City. On that day, David took the famous photograph of Diego Maradona at the World Cup and was subsequently asked to cover the Olympics and numerous other sporting events. Many years later, David established himself as a photographer, documenting the natural world from new perspectives, and the last nine years have been formative in his career.
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