A selection of Rose Hartman’s photos, among other objects, at the Todd Merrill Studio in Bergdorf Goodman
Todd Merrill is a prominent New York-based gallerist, dealer, and expert in 20th-century and contemporary design. The recently opened Todd Merrill Studio at Bergdorf Goodman is a curated, high-end exhibition space on the seventh floor of the luxury retailer, showcasing bespoke, contemporary, and 20th-century collectible designs.
Wendy Diamond, center, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
The studio offers a rotating, gallery-like setting for unique furniture, lighting, and art pieces from international artists, blending luxury retail with artisan craftsmanship.
Guests, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
The installation, which spans three rooms, combines collectible design, material innovation, and handcrafted excellence in a setting that feels distinctly New York. Rose Hartman, who has photographed the intersection of fashion, celebrity, and society in a way that defined an era, is quintessentially and unapologetically New York.
“Effortless yet indelible, Rose Hartman’s photographs reveal New York not just as a city, but as a state of mind” -Todd Merrill
Rose Hartman and Joshua Kamei, with Dr. Penny Grant behind him, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
Rose’s work perfectly encapsulates the city’s raw, unfiltered energy, glamour, and informality across five decades. Hartman’s brash style is best described as a fearless, “Tasmanian Devil” approach to photography, characterized by a relentless pursuit of authentic, candid moments in high-fashion and nightclub scenes.
Rose Hartman’s photo of Henri Cartier-Bresson
She is a pioneer, known for her glamorous and intimate photographs of icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Mick Jagger, Nan Kempner, Pat Buckley, Brooke Astor, Andy Warhol, Pat Cleveland, Carolina Herrera, Grace Jones, Diana Vreeland, and the humanist, photographer, and artist Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Photo of Bianca Jagger by Rose Hartman
The 88-year-old is perhaps best known for her iconic photograph of Bianca Jagger riding a white horse through Studio 54 at her 30th birthday celebration, an image widely regarded as one of the most enduring symbols of the era. In fact, this photo inspired Todd’s early infatuation with Rose’s work, leading to his current collaboration.
This past January, Todd recalls visiting a friend who has a photography collection that included Patrick McMullan and Rose’s pictures, mixed together on his wall in a large group. “They looked amazing, each one has an incredible story behind it, and I thought how wonderful these would work well at BG.
Yvonne Beri, Mariam Azar, Noelle Xie, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
In true New York form, the guest list on Thursday evening was an eclectic mix of people from many different worlds.
Lauren Ezersky (left center), photo by Marilyn Kirschner
There was a gal about town, Lauren Ezersky, showing off her newly cropped ‘do (“It can always grow back,” she says), writer George Wayne, whose beat is celebrity culture and the whirl of fashion, music, and style, and stylist Phillip Bloch.
Todd Merrill and Dakota Jackson, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
Others include social fixture Susan Gutfreund, Dakota Jackson, one of America’s leading furniture designers, and Noelle Xie, the first Chinese-born American woman to receive the highest French honor, Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.
Christopher Mason, Jose Villaneuva, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
Also on hand was Joshua Kamei, who spent hours sifting through Hartman’s prolific archives; Dr. Penny Grant, who, in 2010, became one of the first Board Certified Child Abuse Pediatricians; and Oxford-educated Christopher Mason, a multi-talented journalist, author, and TV Host who never met a piece of orange clothing he didn’t like.
Mercedes Gonzales is wearing a t-shirt printed with a Rose Hartman photo, photo by Marilyn Kirschner
Mercedes Gonzales caught my eye with her eclectic “Schiaparelli-inspired” outfit, accessorized with an enormous vintage bag hand-painted by an artist. Mercedes was quick to show me her limited edition white cotton t-shirt printed with one of Rose Hartman’s iconic photos.
Rose Hartman Proof of Concept t-shirt with photo of Mick and Bianca Jagger, photo Marilyn Kirschner
When I admired it, Mercedes instantly opened her bag to reveal a neatly folded stack of them. She took one out, printed with Rose’s photo of Mick and Bianca Jagger, and gifted it to me.
FYI, when I asked Rose if there is any living person she hasn’t photographed but would love to, she said, “Angelina Jolie! I actually dated her dad, Jon Voight, for a short time a long time ago.”
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