A talk by the nephew of Edward Quinn who captured the moment Grace Kelly met her Prince
Edward Quinn was born and grew up in Ireland. He left as a young man and moved to London and then to the Riviera when he realised it was a more lucrative place to be as a photographer of the celebrities. The gloden era on the Riviera attracted all the cinema stars.
Quinn's nephew Wolfgang Frei and his wife Ursula manage the archives with thousands of photos that Edward Quinn took during his career as a professional journalist covering major events on the Riviera when he captured the stars - including a young Grace Kelly in 1954 at the Cannes Film Festival. Wolfgang's Swiss aunt married Edward Quinn and at the end of his career, they retired to Switzerland when Quinn's health started to deteriorate.
The Quinn archives comprise photos from the 1950s to the 1970s by Edward Quinn (1920–1997). His images capture the unique charm, sophistication and chic elegance of this legendary time and place. Wolfgang Frei will speak about the era and his uncle's career and talent for capturing those precious moments, including the first meeting between Grace Kelly the young American actress attending the Cannes Film Festival as part of the American Delegation to promote her movie "To catch a thief". A magazine suggested a photo shoot in Monaco and an invitation was extended by the Prince's palace to the young actress. Edward Quinn captured that magical first meeting in Monaco.
All photos © Edward Quinn Archives
One of Grace Kelly's promotional assignments as part of the American delegation attending the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 consisted of a photo shoot at the Palace of Monaco with one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors, Prince Rainier III.
Most people do not realise that the first photos taken of the young American actress Grace Kelly meeting the Prince were taken by an Irish photographer who worked at the Cannes Film Festival and had won the confidence of the Oscar-winning actress while she was on the Riviera to promote her movie 'To Catch a Thief'.
A year later 19th April 1956 the 'wedding of the century' took place in the Principality of Monaco between Grace Kelly and Her Prince.
