The Untitled Space is pleased to present UNTITLED PHOTO, a new division of the gallery dedicated to featuring collections of historic and iconic photographic imagery from the 1980s and 1990s. The division is launching with its first collection featuring the celebrated series of portraits of Anna Nicole Smith by photographer Daniela Federici.
Photographer Daniela Federici hails from Melbourne, Australia but has called New York home for over two decades. Daniela has worked with numerous luxury fashion and travel brands, glossy magazines, and “A” list celebrities during her storied career. Her experience has taken her around the globe to shoot for various publications (including The Untitled Magazine), advertising agencies, and music companies. She photographed Anna Nicole Smith numerous times over the years for Guess campaigns, as well as publications including Playboy. The new collection releases a number of previously unpublished images of Smith from the photographer’s archives.
Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan; November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007) was an American model, actress, and television personality. Smith first gained popularity in Playboy magazine when she won the title of 1993 Playmate of the Year. She modeled for numerous fashion companies, including Guess (photographed by Daniela Federici as well as Ellen Von Unwerth).
Smith dropped out of high school at age 14 in 1982. In 1994, her highly publicized second marriage to 89-year-old billionaire J. Howard Marshall resulted in speculation that she married him for his money, which she denied. Following Marshall’s death in 1995, Smith began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate. Her cases reached the Supreme Court of the United States: Marshall v. Marshall on a question of federal jurisdiction and Stern v. Marshall on a question of bankruptcy court authority.
She died in February 2007 in a Hollywood, Florida hotel room as a result of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Smith’s controversial history and tragic death have been the subject of numerous documentaries, including “20/20: Tragic Beauty” released in 2021.
“I first met Anna Nicole Smith at Paul Marciano’s house at the top of Benedict Canyon in August 1992. Paul is the Creative Director of Guess Jeans, and had invited me to meet Anna to determine if we had chemistry and whether I wanted to shoot her for my first Guess Jeans Campaign.
At the time Guess was the biggest gig in the world for a photographer or model. The campaign graced the pages of every glossy magazine from Vogue to GQ internationally and launched the careers of many including Ellen Von Unwerth and Wayne Maser.
I was in my early 20s and had just graduated from photographic college in Australia, where I had shot for some of the most prestigious Australian magazines. Anna had achieved some notoriety with her 1992 Playboy cover. So we were both freshmen in the international world of high fashion.
We were introduced at Paul’s and even though Anna had just woken from a nap, she radiated beauty and had something special known as ‘je ne sais quoi’.
In her natural state, her skin was flawless and her smile captivating. She was voluptuous, with long limbs and a tiny waist. She had a 1950s movie star quality that was a contrast to the fashion trends at the time. She was gorgeous and in her sexy southern accent she introduced herself “‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am, I’m looking forward to working with you.’” – Daniela Federici
Read more about the collection on Untitled Photo.
View and collect the limited editions from Artsy.
