Mario Casilli

Mario Casilli's photographs defined the fabulous and outrageous entertainment industry in the 1980s. His larger than life portraits, featuring his trademark backlighting and bright color palette, captured everyone from Joan Collins in blinding jewels, Dolly Parton in perfectly coiffed grandeur and the Bee Gees in sleeveless leather to full cast shots of iconic television shows like Dynasty, Dallas, Knight Rider and Miami Vice. Casilli was a magnificently talented photographer who captured this exciting, fun and over-the-top decade like no other.
Mario Casilli's photographs defined the fabulous and outrageous entertainment industry in the 1980s. This wonderful coffee table volume brings Casilli's 1980s portraits alive for the first time.
A beautifully made, unique visual document of the photographer's art.--Priya Elan "Grazia, December 2, 2013 "
A time capsule to the decade when big hair, polyester suits, shoulder pads, and blinding beading reigned supreme.--Julie Ma "New York Magazine, November 19, 2013 "
It's a tremendous body of work ... and it's never really been seen all together.--Alexa Girkout "The Hollywood Reporter, February 6, 2014 "
Featured in TV Guide 2013 Holiday Gift catalog.

In the eighties, photographer Mario Casilli embraced soft-focus, high-gloss, backlit backdrops of every color to immortalize the biggest stars (and styles) of the time in all of their rhinestone-covered glory. Casilli, who started off his career shooting for Playboy in the late fifties, photographed 57 Playmates before shifting gears to work for TV Guide in the eighties. Over the course of his career, he snapped the casts of Miami Vice, Knight Rider, Baywatch, and The Golden Girls and took intense, incredible glamour shots of musicians like Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, and more. On Thursday, Casilli's first-ever book of portraits -- a time capsule to the decade when big hair, polyester suits, shoulder pads, and blinding beading reigned supreme -- will be published by Reel Art Press. Click through the slideshow for a first look at the famous eighties ladies Casilli photographed: Oprah Winfrey in a black-and-yellow sequined top, Barbra Streisand posing sans-pants next to a radiator, Linda Evans in an aerobics leotard, and more.

Review by Julie Ma, featured on The Cut website, Nov 19, 2013

Featured in TV Guide 2013 Holiday Gift catalog.



In the eighties, photographer Mario Casilli embraced soft-focus, high-gloss, backlit backdrops of every color to immortalize the biggest stars (and styles) of the time in all of their rhinestone-covered glory. Casilli, who started off his career shooting for Playboy in the late fifties, photographed 57 Playmates before shifting gears to work for TV Guide in the eighties. Over the course of his career, he snapped the casts of Miami Vice, Knight Rider, Baywatch, and The Golden Girls and took intense, incredible glamour shots of musicians like Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, and more. On Thursday, Casilli's first-ever book of portraits -- a time capsule to the decade when big hair, polyester suits, shoulder pads, and blinding beading reigned supreme -- will be published by Reel Art Press. Click through the slideshow for a first look at the famous eighties ladies Casilli photographed: Oprah Winfrey in a black-and-yellow sequined top, Barbra Streisand posing sans-pants next to a radiator, Linda Evans in an aerobics leotard, and more.



Review by Julie Ma, featured on The Cut website, Nov 19, 2013