Melvin Sokolsky
Melvin Sokolsky (1933–2022) was a visionary American photographer and director whose inventive, surreal imagery redefined the possibilities of fashion photography in the mid-20th century. Known for his editorial work for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and The New York Times, Sokolsky approached photography with a cinematic and conceptual flair that challenged the boundaries between art, fashion, and illusion. His most iconic body of work, the Bubble Series, exemplifies his imaginative style—featuring model Simone D’Aillencourt floating above the Seine in a transparent sphere, decades before digital manipulation became a tool in the photographic arsenal.
Born in New York City, Sokolsky had no formal training in photography. He taught himself through trial and error using his father’s box camera and absorbed lessons from conversations with working commercial photographers. A formative childhood memory of viewing Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights—and later, fever dreams of flying in a bubble over distant lands—inspired the fantastical imagery that would become his signature. This early exposure to surrealism planted the seeds for a lifelong commitment to visual storytelling rooted in the impossible.
Emerging during the golden age of editorial photography in the 1950s through the 1970s, Sokolsky was among a select group of artists who elevated fashion imagery to the level of high art. His work brought conceptual daring and technical precision to the pages of the world’s most influential magazines, where innovative photographers were expected to produce striking visuals to match the boldness of the writing. For Sokolsky, there was no line between editorial and advertising—only the challenge of delivering “the full shot,” as he once said.
Sokolsky’s photographs blend elegance with illusion, employing intricate sets, unexpected perspectives, and physical experimentation to create visual metaphors. From shrinking models to dollhouse proportions to placing them in levitating orbs, his work never relied on post-production trickery. Instead, it was grounded in meticulous planning and an instinct for drama, grace, and visual poetry.
In addition to his photographic achievements, Sokolsky was a pioneer in commercial filmmaking. By the late 1960s, he had transitioned into directing and working as a cameraman, applying his sense of narrative and aesthetics to moving images. His contributions to visual culture helped reshape how fashion and advertising were conceived, making room for imagination, wit, and theatricality.
Sokolsky’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His legacy endures as one of the most inventive artists to ever work within the fashion genre, remembered for expanding the creative potential of photography through bold vision and fearless execution.
Photography & Works
-
Melvin Sokolsky
Bar du Baguette, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Bar Du Flick Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Bicycle Street Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Bubble on Seine Kick Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Delvaux Street Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Dragon’s Breath, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Faces in Window, Paris, Harper’s Bazaar Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Fly Dior, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Free Bubble Parking Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
In Trees, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Jump, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Le Dragon, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Le Dragon, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Lip Streaks, Donna Mitchell, New York Read more -
Melvin Sokolsky
Lumiere Street Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
On the Seine Kick, Paris Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Over New York Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Over New York, for Harper’s Bazaar Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Parker Handcuffed, New York Read more -
Melvin Sokolsky
Portfolio (twelve photographs) Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Rolling Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Rolling II Add to cart -
Melvin Sokolsky
Rosenquist Desert – Iris, Verushka, Tillie, New York Read more -
Melvin Sokolsky
School Yard Trees Add to cart
News & Articles

Red, Yellow, Blue and All the Colors in Between: A Photographic Survey of Color and Form

Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary 2025

The Age of Elegance: 30 Years of Fashion and Beauty

Iconic Photographs: Pictures that Stand the Test of Time

Melvin Sokolsky – Elevation of Elegance @ JL Modern

Art Miami 2023

A Year in Passing: Those Who We Will Miss

Temperatures Rising: Surrender to the Heat

The Immediate Image

Photo London 2022

Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair 2022

Fashion with an Edge

Art Miami 2021

Melvin Sokolsky: Fashion Taken to New Heights

Ali MacGraw on Melvin Sokolsky

Photo London Digital 2020

Meet our Artists: Melvin Sokolsky

In Discussion: Melvin Sokolsky

Dialogues With Great Photographers – Melvin Sokolsky
