Ara Gallant

Ara Gallant (1932–1990) was an American hairstylist who was noted for perfecting the "flying hair" technique while working for Vogue in the 1960s. He later became a fashion photographer.

Early life Gallant was born Ira Gallantz in the Bronx, New York into a Russian Jewish family. He had a brother who was murdered in the 1980s. Gallant, who was openly gay,

Career In the 1960s, Gallant started working for Vogue as a hairstylist. Gallant was the first hairstylist to be paid to solely style hair by a magazine. He worked with many notable photographers including Richard Avedon (with whom he frequently collaborated earning the pair the nickname "Aradon") and Irving Penn. He also worked with many supermodels of that era including Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka, Margaux Hemingway and Penelope Tree. One of his notable collaborations with Avedon is a 1968 portrait of Twiggy with "flying hair", a visual gimmick mastered by Gallant. Gallant regularly held dinner parties at his West End Avenue apartment attended by his celebrity friends including Anjelica Huston and Jack Nicholson. Gallant's apartment became well known for its unusual and modern decor; all the windows were shuttered, the walls of the living room were painted with black, glossy paint and the white linoleum were made to resemble a river of blood with splashes of red paint.

In popular culture In 2010, Italian publisher Damiani Editore released Ara Gallant edited by David Wills, a photography book featuring photos showcasing Gallant's work as a hairstylist and portraits Gallant took when he worked as a photographer. Ara Gallant also features interviews with Gallant's friends and associates including Penelope Tree, Steven Meisel, Polly Mellen and Anjelica Huston (who also wrote the foreword).