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golden years
June 12, 2014

Classic New York: Grace Jones, Jackie O., & More

By Erica Schwiegershausen

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Photo: Ron Galella

At 83 years old, the notorious paparazzo Ron Galella — who was infamously slugged in the face by Marlon Brando and given a restraining order from Jackie Kennedy — is currently enjoying retirement. “I can’t run like I used to,” he jokes; apart from the one night a year when he covers the Met Gala, Galella spends the majority of his days at his home in New Jersey, combing through his archives. “I’m busy, nowadays, mining the gold of yesteryear,” he told the Cut. He’s working on putting out a new book of photographs every year, the latest of which, Ron Galella: New York, focuses on his photography of New York from the ‘70s and ‘80s — including pictures of Cher roller-skating and Christie Brinkley wearing a mustache.

A man who, to this day, continues to refer to both Jackie Kennedy and New York City as his “girlfriends,” Galella is nostalgic for the golden age of paparazzi journalism. “The great thing about the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s was that celebrities were themselves. It was easier to get pictures of them,” he reflects. “In those days, you didn’t have to call to get on a list. Back then, when I crashed a party, nobody stopped me,” he explains, listing his favorite spots: Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, in front of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, 21 Club, and “Studio 54, of course.” “I crashed premieres in my spare time,” he says of his early career.

“Now, celebrities are more guarded, because there are paparazzi everywhere,” Galella observes. “And you get lousier pictures today — more posed pictures, which I don’t like. I want them looking at other people or responding to others — not paying attention to the photographer.” Click through the slideshow for a look back at celebrity culture of New York in the ‘70s and ‘80s, including Mick Jagger, Catherine Deneuve, Grace Jones, Diane von Furstenberg, and more.

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Preview: Ron Galella’s PAPARAZZO EXTRAORDINAIRE!
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1 / 15 Photos
Bianca Jagger, 1978  Photo: Ron Galella
Cher, 1979  Photo: Ron Galella
Jackie Kennedy  Photo: Ron Galella
Christie Brinkley, 1986  Photo: Ron Galella
Mick Jagger, 1981  Photo: Ron Galella
Sean Penn, Madonna, 1986  Photo: Ron Galella
Catherine Deneuve, 1980  Photo: Ron Galella
Naomi Campbell, 1989  Photo: Ron Galella
Mia Farrow, 1987  Photo: Ron Galella
Barbra Streisand, 1969  Photo: Ron Galella
David Bowie, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, 1975  Photo: Ron Galella
Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Polly Mellen, Christy Turlington, 1989  Photo: Ron Galella
Dolly Parton, 1978  Photo: Ron Galella
Diane von Furstenberg, 1978  Photo: Ron Galella
Grace Jones  Photo: Ron Galella
1 / 15

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  • gallery
  • ron galella
  • paparazzi
  • barbara streisand
  • jackie kennedy
  • david bowie
  • john lennon
  • yoko ono
  • bianca jagger
  • dolly parton
  • diane von furstenberg
  • cher
  • catherine deneuve
  • mick jagger
  • grace jones
  • madonna
  • sean penn
  • mia farrow
  • christie brinkley
  • linda evangelista
  • naomi campbell
  • christy turlington
  • polly mellen
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