This year, Sofitel is presenting a unique photo exhibition. BB Forever: Brigitte Bardot, La Légende just opened yesterday at Sofitel Los Angeles (where it will run through March), and the show will be traveling to Chicago (April-May), Washington (June-September), and finally New York (October-December). The collection of 30 photographs, presented for the first time in the United States, traces the career of the French actress, singer, and 1960’s sex symbol. French writer and journalist Henri-Jean Servat curated the rare look into the icon’s life, detailing her rise to fame as a screen legend — and in more recent years, an animal rights activist. It’s appropriate that the inaugural opening is in L.A., the cinema capital of the world. Bardot never filmed a movie in the United States, but her Lolita-esque role in her then-husband’s film, Roger Vadim’s …And God Created Woman, was a success in America and put her on the map as a serious star to contend with. Bardot is also being honored at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.
Past the break we’ve shared several images that are being featured in the exhibition. Bardot looks stunning as always, and it’s great to see her in her Bonnie Parker beret — which she wore while performing “Bonnie & Clyde” with frequent collaborator Serge Gainsbourg. If you haven’t seen the video for the song, check it out over here and worship the way Bardot pronounces, “Bonnnie.” There’s also a great photo of the actress with Vadim circa 1956 in Saint-Tropez. Bardot still resides in the French Riviera town, living a quiet life as she discussed during a recent interview with Vanity Fair .
Click through for a closer look. BB Forever: Brigitte Bardot, La Légende will be open to the general public, as well as hotel guests.
Star, ©Tirage numérique d’après le tirage original de Sam Lévin – Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, France
Lovers, Michou Simon, ©Paris Match
Muse, ©Tirage numérique d’après le tirage original de Sam Lévin – Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, France
Bonnie & Clyde, Jean-Claude Sauer, ©Paris Match