The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Monument Valley, Utah – 2023
“This is not the first time we have asked former basketball player- Erica Lawrence – to travel to a far-off location so that we could fuse her magnificence with an equally spectacular car. First it was the San Bernardino Pass between Italy and Switzerland with a James Bond car and this time it was the heart of John Ford’s American West with a $60m Testarossa Ferrari. The car, driven by Sports Illustrated cover girl Brooks Nader, looks stunning against the iconic grandeur of Monument Valley and Erica’s body starts and finishes the story.
We enjoy rolling the dice a little and embracing parody: it doesn’t pay to be too earnest in storytelling. Stories are just that – stories. Taschen’s book Wheels and Curves showcased photographs from the roaring twenties that played on the alchemy between female form and the early motor car. For many it brought two of the finer things in life together and this was to be celebrated.
It is quite instructive that in the 1920s photographing this quite specific subject matter was seen as being a most laudable use of the camera. It was a category within the vast field of photographic subject matter. A photographer could turn his lens to landscapes, or war, or still life, but could equally photograph girls sitting erotically on cars.
Ostensibly, it would seem little has changed in the last 100 years.“
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes
Large - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 91" in (142 cm x 231 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 106” in (180 cm x 269 cm)
Standard - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 60” in (94 cm x 152 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 75” in (132 cm x 191 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Testarossa
Monument Valley, Utah – 2023
“We have worked with some expensive props over the years and as our creative visions become more expansive and ambitious, there will no doubt be some surreal days ahead in the field.
However, it may be a long time before we can beat the thrill of taking a 1953 Testarossa to the most iconic stretch of the American Highway system – Forest Gump Point in Monument Valley.
There are so many people to thank for making the image I had in my head come to reality. Firstly we must thank the Navajo Nation and their elder Don Mose – who looked after us so well and entertained the crew to dinner. We were honoured to be their guests.
Brooks Nader is a great friend of the crew and always performs, irrespective of the cold or the long hours on the road. We like good energy and Brooks offers it at a level that is almost indecent.“
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes
Large - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 65" in (142 cm x 165 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 180” in (180 cm x 203 cm)
Standard - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 43” in (94 cm x 109 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 58” in (132 cm x 147 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Testarossa (Colour)
Monument Valley, Utah – 2023
“We have worked with some expensive props over the years and as our creative visions become more expansive and ambitious, there will no doubt be some surreal days ahead in the field.
However, it may be a long time before we can beat the thrill of taking a 1953 Testarossa to the most iconic stretch of the American Highway system – Forest Gump Point in Monument Valley.
There are so many people to thank for making the image I had in my head come to reality. Firstly we must thank the Navajo Nation and their elder Don Mose – who looked after us so well and entertained the crew to dinner. We were honoured to be their guests.
Brooks Nader is a great friend of the crew and always performs, irrespective of the cold or the long hours on the road. We like good energy and Brooks offers it at a level that is almost indecent.“
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes
Large - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 65" in (142 cm x 165 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 180” in (180 cm x 203 cm)
Standard - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 43” in (94 cm x 109 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 58” in (132 cm x 147 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Girl in the Feathered Hat (Colour)
Monument Valley, Utah – 2023
“When this 1958 Testarossa arrived on set on the Arizona/Utah border, I was struck by its curvaceous beauty. Our initial leaning was to shoot head on and we did exactly that, but when I saw the car in profile, its length and ground hugging architecture was visually arresting. I knew that I had to play on this and where better to do this than in Monument Valley – John Ford’s favourite playground? He kept returning here as he knew he had found a topographic stage without equal. In his own words “it afforded him an extra character for free”.
John Ford was a stickler for horizons and camera angles. Anyone who watched the Fabelmans, specifically the last scene, will know what I am getting at.
I am a lucky man. To be filming with this car, in this most grand of settings, with the female powerhouse that is Brooks Nader, is like getting the first, second and third at the Kentucky Derby. When I set the shot up, I wanted to glorify the length of the car and the vista behind stirred the alchemy that gave us this celebration of life on earth.
It is a beautiful world. Ferrari gets it, John Ford got it and I am learning all the time.” – David Yarrow
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 38" x 103” in (96.52 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 43" x 118” in (109.2 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 29” x 77” in (73.66 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 43” x 92” (109.2 cm x 233.7 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Girl in the Feathered Hat
Monument Valley, Utah – 2023
“When this 1958 Testarossa arrived on set on the Arizona/Utah border, I was struck by its curvaceous beauty. Our initial leaning was to shoot head on and we did exactly that, but when I saw the car in profile, its length and ground hugging architecture was visually arresting. I knew that I had to play on this and where better to do this than in Monument Valley – John Ford’s favourite playground? He kept returning here as he knew he had found a topographic stage without equal. In his own words “it afforded him an extra character for free”.
John Ford was a stickler for horizons and camera angles. Anyone who watched the Fabelmans, specifically the last scene, will know what I am getting at.
I am a lucky man. To be filming with this car, in this most grand of settings, with the female powerhouse that is Brooks Nader, is like getting the first, second and third at the Kentucky Derby. When I set the shot up, I wanted to glorify the length of the car and the vista behind stirred the alchemy that gave us this celebration of life on earth.
It is a beautiful world. Ferrari gets it, John Ford got it and I am learning all the time.” – David Yarrow
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 38" x 103” in (96.52 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 43" x 118” in (109.2 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 29” x 77” in (73.66 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 43” x 92” (109.2 cm x 233.7 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
And the Party Never Ends
Monument Valley, Utah, USA- 2022
Such is the grandeur and scale of Monument Valley that at almost every corner there is something of a sensory overload. The amphitheater, for all its majesty, also has a sense of incompleteness, as if God the creator got a little bored of building the city and moved on to other projects. The result is an architectural canvas unlike any other in the world.
I knew one angle where I could compress distance and fill one of the gaps in this city of monoliths with foreground detail. We had an old VW camper van on set and somehow or other we managed to drive it to the predetermined horizon not far from where John Wayne was filmed in The Searchers. There was a distinct slope on this patch of ground and I warmed to the impact it had on the frame.
It was then up to the girls. I fancy they had enjoyed a few tequilas on the road up from the wonderfully named Mexican Hat and there were no inhibitions. They didn’t need to act; they were already very much in the prescribed hippy vibe.
When we woke up that day, I had no idea that we would end the shoot with an image like this. I love it because it is uplifting and fun. It speaks to me as a portrait of Americana – the land of carefree road trips.
The road goes on forever and the party never ends.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 56” x 80” in (142.24 cm x 203.2 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 95” in (180.34 cm x 241.3 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 37” x 53” in (93.98 cm x 134.62 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 68” in (132.08 cm x 172.72 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Road Goes on Forever
Monument Valley, Utah – 2022
Monument Valley is the very essence of the South West of America; a colossal theatre of dreams and a canvas for movies without equal. It is the beating heart of the Wild West, a landscape of such timeless grandeur that we are forced to recognize that our time on this extraordinary planet is short and our footprint minimal. Its scale provokes a sensory overload never diluted by familiarity.
John Ford and John Wayne went back time and time again because the landscape does much of the storytelling work for a director. It serves to elevate those who perform on the stage as the context is almost always one of heroic isolation.
We got lucky with the light at the famous Forrest Gump Point last Monday morning. There was a window of about five minutes and the girls were so professional despite the chilling wind. Pictures like this make the job so rewarding and always remind me what a team effort it is. In particular, a big shout out to Nicole Allowitz; her styling is always so on point and was critical for the intended vibe on one of the most famous stretches of road in the world.
The title of the image is a borrow from Robert Earl Keen – the genius singer songwriter from Texas whom we sing along to whilst on the road in America.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image size: 56” x 67" in (142.24 cm x 170.18 cm)
- Framed Image Size: 71” x 82” in (180.34 cm x 208.28 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image size: 37” x 44" in (93.98 cm x 111.76 cm)
- Framed Image Size: 52” x 59" in (132.08 cm x 149.86 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Bonnie
Creede, CO, USA 2021
The old mining village of Creede sits in a tight box canyon 9,000 feet up in the Southern Rockies of Colorado. An imposing vertical cliff face bullies main street and adds to the sense of ‘a town at the end of the line’. Creede plays to the lore and mythology of the wild west and consequently is awash with tourists during the summer. However, in the mid-winter, the place has an abandoned look to it and this was always going to be the best time to film. It would be a bridge too far to try to close the town down in July.
We had been throwing around ideas as to where to stage a Bonnie and Clyde story and chose Creede, not just because the high street is little changed from the 1920s, but because the locals, including the sheriff and the council, were fully supportive of our concept. To a man, the town folk of Creede were committed to helping us bring the project to fruition. For two days, our crew and extras seemingly doubled the winter population of Creede and the one restaurant in town was at capacity most of the time.
Fine tuning the composition was a challenge as ideally, I wanted Bonnie – played by Cara Delevingne – to be as big a part of the image as possible, but I also needed the buildings on both sides of the street to frame the narrative in the middle. Working with wide angle lenses risks making a loose image and I was determined not to fall into that trap. We had not dragged everyone up to this cold final frontier outpost to create a mundane image.
My goal was to create one single vignette to emphatically celebrate the heavily mythologised story of Bonnie and Clyde. It therefore had to be rich enough to inform, whilst remaining simple and cinematic. The final result is a great credit to all involved – Cara, her team, my production team and the many extras.
Faye Dunaway played Bonnie in the original film and she was my reference for Cara, who played the role immaculately, as I knew she would. Meanwhile, we will never know whether the driver in the car gave his best Warren Beatty impersonation – perhaps that’s just as well.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
Standard
- Image Size: 52" x 56"
- Framed with a 3" mat: 63" x 67"
- Framed with a 5" mat: 67" x 71"
Large
- Image size: 71" x 77"
- Framed with a 3" mat: 82" x 88"
- Framed with a 5" mat: 86" x 92”
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Road Trip
Utah, USA 2018
I have always been drawn to the John Ford scenery of Northern Arizona and Utah, the highlight of which has to be Monument Valley. I am clearly not alone in considering the view south from turnoff 13 on the way to Mexican Hat to be one of the most visually intoxicating sights in the US. It was, of course, used in Forrest Gump and then provided the front cover to Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise. The US have taken ownership of the term “road trip” as explained succinctly by this stretch of tarmac. It’s truly an iconic and timeless vista that shouts “The Wild West”.
Gladiator is probably Ridley Scott finest movie and I have watched it over and over again. Meanwhile, Thelma and Louise is rightly one of the most lauded road trip movies of all time. About a month ago, I picked up the DVD box and had a moment of inspiration. Their use of the convertible car and the head on angle offered a totally different perspective on Monument Valley.
Taking my pre-conception through to reality last Wednesday morning was no small task. I want to thank Brawler Productions in LA for collaborating with me and helping secure exclusive use of the road at the key time, around 7.40 am. It’s a busy road and the Utah State Police were fantastic. @JosieCanseco played her role brilliantly – it was not easy to look that glamorous and in charge with a wolf sitting In Thelma’s seat. It is no surprise that Victoria’s Secret has booked her for its latest show in NYC.
We arrived on site two days before the shoot as we wanted to be in control of everything within our control. I can’t remember ever pondering more over camera settings and lenses. I knew I would have a generous amount of light to play with at 7.40 and we had to use it well. The big variable was the wolf’s behaviour – the light gets too harsh from about 8am and therefore there was only a small window to get the job wrapped. It was tight, but we did it. All in all, it was a great team effort in a fairly remote part of the American West.
We showed this picture for the first time in Dallas last night and the reaction was huge. It is a very special image and I think we nailed it. Thank you, Josie, you were fabulous.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE - Edition Size: 12
- Image: 56" x 79" (143 x 201 cm)
- Framed: 67" x 90" (171 cm x 229 cm)
STANDARD - Edition Size: 12
- Image: 37" x 52" (94 x 133)
- Framed: 48" x 63" (122 x 160 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.