Cecil Beaton at home

Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) was one of twentieth- century Britain's Renaissance men: photographer, costume designer, set designer, playwright, creator of fashion fabrics, and writer on raffiné interiors and the personalities who inhabited them. He also happened to be a fine interior decorator. Cecil Beaton at Home focuses on two homes dear to Beaton's heart- Ashcombe House, near the Wiltshire village of Tollard Royal, and Reddish House, located in Broad Chalke, another village in the same county-as well as London's Pelham Place and Beaton's New York hotel suites. Simultaneously a retreat, an inspiration, a photographer's studio, and a stage for impressive entertaining, Beaton's country homes also fueled his passion for art, gardening, and delight in village life. Against his often-extravagant interiors, Beaton's private life unfolds-his unique talent for self-promotion, desire for theatricality, and uncertain pursuit of love. This lavishly illustrated visual biography brings together original photographs, artworks, and posses- sions from his interiors to present an intimate picture of Beaton's extraordinary life.