Tribute to Brigitte Bardot, An Icon of the 20th Century
Brigitte Bardot died on December 28, 2025, in Saint-Tropez, at the age of 91. An actress, singer, and public figure, she was one of the most internationally recognized French personalities and remained, throughout her life, regarded as the sex symbol of the 20th century. She was extensively photographed, notably by fashion photographers and paparazzi. Here is a selection of images, ranging from Bardot at work on film sets that marked cinema history to others captured candidly.
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By Blind Magazine. Photos from the A. Galerie collection.
Born in Paris in 1934, Brigitte Bardot first trained as a dancer before entering cinema at a very young age. The worldwide success of And God Created Woman in 1956 marked a decisive turning point. From that moment on, her image circulated widely in the international press. Bardot became an instantly recognizable face, associated with a new representation of femininity and freedom.
In the early 1960s, at the height of her fame, Bardot was photographed in New York and Mexico by Douglas Kirkland. These images were taken during her stays in the United States and during the filming of Viva Maria! (1965). They bear witness to an actress at the peak of her career, engaged in international productions and closely followed by the press wherever she went.
During the same period, Bardot starred in Shalako (1968), an Anglo-American film directed by Edward Dmytryk. Terry O’Neill’s photographs were taken on set and in its surroundings. They place Bardot within a Hollywood production context, confirming her status as a global star, while also documenting an actress already marked by the fatigue brought on by constant exposure.
Alongside her film career, Bardot’s private life became a public matter. Living in Saint-Tropez, she was photographed there on numerous occasions by Ron Galella. These images were taken in public spaces, on the margins of her daily life. They testify to a celebrity that continued beyond film sets, in a place that became inseparable from her name.
Over the years, Bardot increasingly expressed her rejection of the media system and of celebrity itself. In 1973, at the age of 39, she announced her definitive retirement from cinema. Despite this decision, she continued to be photographed, particularly in Saint-Tropez, where she attempted to preserve a form of withdrawal while remaining an immediately recognizable figure.
After leaving cinema, Brigitte Bardot devoted herself fully to animal protection and founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986. Until the end of her life, she remained a public figure, regularly referenced in the media. The photographs gathered here trace the continuous thread of an exposed existence, from meteoric rise to withdrawal, leaving the image as the primary trace of a destiny that became collective.
All the images published here are available as prints at A. Galerie in Paris. Click here for more information.
