© The Estate of Richard Bernstein
Illustration by Katherina Denzinger January, 1965
photographed by David Bailey - March, 1966
photographed by David Bailey for Vogue, March 1966
photographed by Charlotte March, Twen magazine March 1966
Valentino ad campaign
Playboy, 1965. Ph. Luigi Cazzaniga
ph. Luigi Cazzaniga
The year was 1964 - the civil rights act was signed into law, Beatlemania was in full overdrive, there was a war in Vietnam and Donyale Luna arrived in New York that Fall. Very quickly opportunities emerged and she found herself amongst the burgeoning creative scene in the city. While Luna’s journey evolved throughout her career, what remained consistent was she was always at the epicenter of the foremost photographers and artists including Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol, Fellini and Miles Davis just to name a few. As one of the highest paid, if not the highest paid models in the late 1960’s and early ‘70’s, she posed for the notable designers including Christian Dior, Valentino, Missoni, Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent, Rudi Gernreich, Halston, Mary Quant, André Courrèges, and Paco Rabanne.
LUNA’S CAREER
LUNA’S CAREER
Within just a couple of months, Luna was asked to sit for illustrator Katharina Denzinger for the January 1965 issue of Harper’s Bazaar which was a replacement for what was originally planned
In 1964 Luna was chosen to appear in Andy Warhol’s “Screen Tests”which were essentially living portraits ~ revealing a little glimpse of her playful persona. In 1965 she made her film debut in Warhol’s “Camp”
In 1965 Donyale signed a one year contract with Richard Avedon who at the time was exclusively shooting for Harper’s Bazaar
The iconic April 1965 issue of Bazaar hits the stands highlighting her solely in a 6 page spread as well as on another page with model Verushka
In 1965 Luna posed for artist Abdul Mati Klarwein, a French painter who was best known for his works used on the covers of music albums
Luna was the star for many Blue Note Record Jazz Albums
TIME magazine marks 1966 as the LUNA YEAR - multiple covers as well as advertisements result in her being one of the highest paid models.
Luna graces the March 1966 cover of British Vogue
In Paris where her success was compared to Josephine Baker’s in the 1920s, she modeled for the most prestigious fashion designers of those years including André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Valentino and Paco Rabanne.
She worked with many of the most well know photographers world wide including Peter Beard and Helmut Newton.
She appeared in 2 films in 1966; Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? by William Klein as well as a cameo appearance in the film “Blow-up” directed by Michelangelo Antonioni.
In 1968, Luna appeared in Otto Preminger’s "Skidoo" alongside Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing
Luna was right at the center of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968
In 1969 Luna starred in Fellini Satyricon
Luna appeared in A Self-Portrait of Salvadore Dali narrated by Orson Welles in 1970.
Legendary mannequin-maker Adel Rootstein, who had created a Twiggy mannequin the year before, made one of her in 1967. Luna’s was the first well-known, if not the first, mannequin of a black woman, according to an article in Dazed magazine
Luna became involved with an elite avant-garde performing arts group; The Living Theatre, known for its intensity and glamor
1970 Luna and her husband Luigi Cazzaniga created a picture book “Lunaflylabye” (unpublished)
1969-1979 Luna and Luigi worked and published several pictures for many magazines including Playboy, Vogue, popular photography Playman, wrote theater and film scripts, songs and more
In 1972 Luna appeared in the avant–garde feature film, Salomé
1978 Right before her passing they were working on a RCA film “La linea” (undistributed) (director Filippo Milani / Luigi Cazzaniga / Curtis Jones )