ONeill Faye Dunaway with Oscar

In *ONeill Faye Dunaway with Oscar*, Terry distils a pivotal Hollywood moment into a sharply observed contemporary portrait, capturing Faye Dunaway at the instant celebrity becomes cultural myth. Working with a photographic sensibility—crisp focal detail, controlled contrast, and a measured play of sheen and shadow—the artist frames the Academy Award as both object and symbol, amplifying its sculptural presence against the sitter’s poised, cinematic gaze.

The composition balances intimacy and spectacle, inviting close reading of gesture, expression, and surface. More than an homage, the work functions as a commentary on fame’s construction and endurance, positioning Dunaway’s image within the wider visual economy of icons, awards culture, and media memory.

A compelling addition to modern celebrity art and contemporary figurative practice.

British photographer Terry O’Neill (1938-2019) made his name in the 1960s-70s, capturing shots of the stars he cosied up to on both sides of the Atlantic.

Attributing his success with celebrities to genuinely liking his subjects and offering plenty of ‘compliments’, O’Neill presented figures such as Frank Sinatra, Brigitte Bardot and his one-time wife Faye Dunaway, often in intimate and unconventional compositions.

we offer a peek even further behind the curtain this month with our exhibition Terry O’Neill: The Vintage Collection .

His extensive archive of two million negatives, which has b…