Shutterstock x Bradley Theodore: The Backstory Behind 5 Iconic Images

Shutterstock x Bradley Theodore: The Backstory Behind 5 Iconic Images

Shutterstock has partnered with acclaimed contemporary street artist Bradley Theodore for an exclusive exhibition at Art Basel Miami Beach.

For the collaboration, “Icons Transformed,” Theodore reimagines photographs of cultural and historical icons, including Whitney Houston, Steve Jobs, and Marilyn Monroe, from the Shutterstock Editorial collection. (Yes, the exhibition is as cool as it sounds. No, the content marketing team wasn’t invited.)

Here, some fun facts about five of the iconic photos reimagined for this exhibition . . .


1. Whitney Houston

The year was 1985. Whitney Houston had just released her self-titled debut studio album, gifting the world with songs like “How Will I Know” (a classic), “Saving All My Love for You” (a classic), and “Greatest Love of All” (a classic). The record catapulted Houston’s career and changed music for good.

Whitney Houston
Iconic singer Whitney Houston in 1985. Image via Gunter W Kienitz/Shutterstock.

2. Steve Jobs

Ah, yes, back when computers weighed a million pounds and mustaches were cool. Much has changed since Steve Jobs posed with the Apple II for this 1981 photo—in large part, thanks to Jobs himself—but one thing has stayed the same: Cookie Monster still loves cookies.

Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs sporting the stach. Image via Ted Thai/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.

3. Salvador Dalí

This portrait of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí was taken sometime around 1943. Notice his eyes are closed. Is he pondering the persistence of memory? Dreaming a dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate a second before awakening? Who’s to say.

What we do know is that the Spanish painter unveiled “Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man,” a work he completed during his stay in the United States, around this time.

Salvador Dalí
Let’s face it, you don’t really want to know what he’s thinking. Image via Horst P Horst/Condé Nast/Shutterstock.

4. Albert Einstein

The caption to this 1948 photo is pretty right-on: “Scientist Albert Einstein wearing old sweatshirt, sitting with page of equations in home library.” When you’ve discovered the theory of relativity, you can wear whatever you want.

Scientist Albert Einstein
In addition to being a genius, Einstein was also a vegetarian—go figure. Image via Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.

5. Marilyn Monroe

Monroe was just twenty-six years old when famed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt took this shot from the patio of her Hollywood home. She had yet to make Bus Stop, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like It Hot—the movies that would make her a legend—but her star was so clearly on the rise.

Actress Marilyn Monroe
The lovely Marilyn Monroe in all her glory. Image via Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.

Cover image via Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.

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