Texas A&M University Art Galleries, J. Wayne Stark Galleries opens exhibition, Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby, Jan. 31, 2025

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Jan. 22, 2025 – Venture backstage into the golden age of Hollywood in the exhibition, Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby. Widely recognized as a pioneer of photography in the 20^th century, Bob Willoughby was the first outside photographer invited by studios to take photos on film sets. Backstage Hollywood will be on display Jan. 31–March 16, 2025 at the Texas A&M University Art Galleries, J. Wayne Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center.

Willoughby’s career took off in 1954 when Life magazine published a feature with over a dozen of his candid photographs of Judy Garland working on set. Since then, his photographs have become instantly recognizable, featuring naturalistic images of actors and directors in intimate moments of vulnerability.

The exhibition features photographs from the sets of 17 iconic Hollywood films, including Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Marnie, Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, and Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love. Willoughby developed friendships with some of his subjects, including Audrey Hepburn. When speaking of meeting Hepburn, he recalls “She took my hand like . . . well a princess, and dazzled me with that smile that God designed to melt mortal men’s hearts.”

Awarded the Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Still Photography in New York in 2004, Willoughby’s photographs are in permanent collections across the United States and Europe. The magazine Popular Photography has called him “the man who virtually invented the photojournalistic motion picture still.” Responding to the many logistical challenges of working on film sets, he was a technological innovator, creating the silent blimp for 35mm still cameras so that he could photograph silently on set, capturing intimate moments of the stars.

In many ways, Willoughby’s spontaneous approach set the standard of celebrity portraits as we think of them today, casting the candid eye of his camera across the most famous faces to fill them with renewed vitality. Backstage Hollywood will captivate audiences as they learn about the impact this photographer had in developing the genre of celebrity portraiture.

Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby is organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Exhibition: Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby
Host Organization: Texas A&M University Art Galleries, Forsyth Galleries
Runs: Jan. 31–March 16, 2025
Gallery Hours: Tues.–Fri., 9 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sat.–Sun., Noon–6 p.m.
Location: Texas A&M University, Memorial Student Center 2428, 275 Joe Routt Blvd., College Station, Texas
Admission: Free
Website: TX.AG/Backstage

About ExhibitsUSA
This exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to over 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. These exhibitions create access to an array of arts and humanities experiences, nurture the understanding of diverse cultures and art forms and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. For more about ExhibitsUSA, email [email protected] or visit www.eusa.org.

About Mid-America Arts Alliance
Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations and communities throughout our region and beyond. Additional information about M-AAA is available at www.maaa.org.

About Texas A&M University Art Galleries
The Texas A&M University Art Galleries is comprised of the J. Wayne Stark Galleries and the Forsyth Galleries in the Memorial Student Center. Both galleries are open to the public Tues.–Fri., 9 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sat.–Sun., noon–6 p.m. Admission is always free.

Media Contact
Molly Painter, Campus and Community Enrichment, communications manager, [email protected]

###