The Photography of Stanley Kubrick

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The Young Montgomery Clift: A Conflicted Soul, March 28, 194
The Young Montgomery Clift: A Conflicted Soul, March 28, 194Photography by Stanley Kubrick. Reproduced by kind permission of the Museum of the City of New York

Marking the 50th Anniversary of Dr Strangelove, we take a look at Stanley Kubrick's early foray into photography

Progressive, catalytic and sardonically reactive, since bursting onto the Hollywood periphery in 1953 with Fear and Desire, Stanley Kubrick's films have become synonymous with political parodising and a voracious fascination with the avant-garde. With this year marking the 50th anniversary of his notorious social satire, Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, it seems that Kubrick is the ubiquitous topic of the season.

In a celebration of iconic cinematic spaces that coincides with the publication of Stanley Kubrick: New Perspectives, London's WORK Gallery delves into the meticulous creative procress behind three Kubrick classics, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. His contribution to the film industry is undeniable. From his salacious protagonist in A Clockwork Orange, to Lolita's voyeuristic commentary on adolescence, Kubrick's genre is both disturbing and provocative.

Yet even before his directorial debut, Kubrick was experimenting with visual narrative. Working as a staff photographer for the New York magazine, Look, Kubrick compiled a candid archive of photographic reportage, in which he captured the harsh and mundane realities of the human condition. The complete anthology, Stanley Kubrick: Drama and Shadows, offers a glimpse into the early visual identity of Hollywood's notorious creative, and here AnOther presents a gallery of our favourite shots, taking in film stars, the circus and game watching crowds – a new side to a famously subversive icon.

Stanley Kubrick: New Perspectives is at WORK Gallery until September 27. Stanley Kubrick: Drama and Shadows is out now, published by Phaidon.

Text by Abigail Gurney-Read