Original glossy 10 x 8 photo of James Dean by photographer Roy Schatt, which depicts the actor smoking a cigarette next to Oscar-winning composer Leonard Rosenman on the old roof of New York's Museum of Modern Art, signed below in black ink by Schatt, with the reverse bearing his credit stamp. In fine condition, with a crease to the lower right corner tip.
Amongst Rosenman's earliest film work was the scores for Dean films East of Eden (1955) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Rosenman had lived together with Dean, to whom he gave piano lessons, and it was Dean who introduced him to director Elia Kazan.
Born in New York City, Schatt (1909-2002) is remembered for his 'method photography' of personalities associated with The Actors Studio during the Lee Strasberg era, using natural light to capture likenesses of icons such as James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Steve McQueen in candid, unstaged settings. Schatt and Dean became especially close friends, with Schatt teaching the actor the basics of photography so that he knew what it was like to be behind the camera. Schatt's work has been exhibited at the International Center of Photography in NYC, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
