Opening on Saturday, February 28, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Exhibition until April 18, 2026, Thursday–Saturday, 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Until August 31, 2026, by appointment only via email or telephone
The gallery will be closed from March 19, 2026, to March 21, 2026.
The in focus Galerie – B. Arnold shows photographs that capture the vibrant tension between glamour, everyday culture, and an intense look behind the scenes of post-war Hollywood with original photographs by Bernard of Hollywood (Bruno Bernhard), whose visual language remains iconic to this day and who played a key role in the penetration of pop culture with visually stunning self-staging. It is no coincidence that his work helped personalities such as Marilyn Monroe gain early, groundbreaking access to cinematic and photographic self-marketing – and he contributed significantly to the development of pin-up photography with guidelines in his textbook. The exhibition pays tribute to this dual role: documenting the studio as a place of production and narrating fantasy, self-image, and media impact.
The exhibition presents selected original prints by Bernard of Hollywood, supplemented by conceptually related works that reveal the close interconnection between icons, advertising and pop culture. Bernard of Hollywood worked deliberately with light, shadow and precise composition to reflect the contemporary self-image of beauty, success and femininity – from clear studio staging to intimate snapshots in front of the camera.
The exhibition shows stars beyond the screen: iconic faces of those years who shaped the public image, such as Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Anita Ekberg, John Wayne, Yul Brynner and Clark Gable. Bernard's photographs of stars, pin-ups and models refer to an aesthetic that linked advertising, fashion and film. His photographs also serve to document the golden age of Hollywood, photography as a medium for producing dreams, which at the same time functioned as a history of observation.
Bernard of Hollywood is world-famous as one of the style-defining photographers of glamour photography. His work is closely associated with Marilyn Monroe, whom he helped to establish an early film reputation that remains part of the collective visual memory to this day. At the same time, his influence on glamour and pin-up photography is part of the lasting legacy of image communication and aesthetics of this era, the golden age of Hollywood.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey from 1945 to 1965, from the immediate post-war period through the heyday of the studio era to the beginning of social upheaval. Hollywood was a cultural production that had a decisive influence on the collective image of beauty, success and freedom. The original prints on display, including many vintage prints by Bernard of Hollywood, are given space in the exhibition to be interpreted both as documentary evidence and as visual fictions.
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