We are delighted to bring this selection of unseen stills and behind-the-scenes documentation to Farleys House and Gallery, the former home of Lee Miller. It was at Farleys where Lee learnt to live with her harrowing experiences as a photo-journalist during the Second World War. To this day, the house remains the base of the Lee Miller Archives, frequently visited by the film team –from the writers to costume and set designers, and of course title role and executive producer Kate Winslet – it is fitting that LEE’s story has come full-circle.
The exhibition will showcase comparative images of Lee Miller’s wartime reportage alongside photographs by Kimberley French (official photographer for LEE) of meticulously researched scenes recreated for the film. Additionally, it will feature photographs by Kate Winslet taken on set whilst filmingusing a Rolleiflex camera that was carefully researched and compared with Lee Miller’s own camera here at Farleys.
In a foreword for the recent publication Lee Miller Photographs, Kate Winslet expresses her admiration for Miller: ‘There are so many stories of girls to whom things happened. Lee Miller was a woman who made things happen. I don’t mind admitting I adore her.’ Writing from the film set, Winslet continues ‘This photographer-writer-reporter did everything she did with love, lust, and courage, and is an inspiration for what you can achieve, and what you can bear, if you dare to take life firmly by the hands and live it at full throttle. Her legacy is extraordinary.’
Antony Penrose, co-Director of Farleys House and Gallery and Lee Miller’s son, adds: ‘Other attempts to make a feature film about Lee had failed in the past, but this one succeeded mainly due to Kate Winslet’s vision and determination. It owes much of its force and integrity to being a film about a woman made by women.’
Join us at Farleys House and Gallery to explore this remarkable intersection of history and cinema. Celebrate the legacy of Lee Miller through this extraordinary exhibition, ‘Lee & LEE.’
Exhibition Dates: 1st August to 31st October 2024
Open: Thursday, Friday and Sundays 10am to 4.30pm
Location: Lee Miller Gallery, Farleys House and Gallery, Muddles Green, Chiddingly, BN8 6HW, +44 (0)1825 872856
Image credit poster ⓒ Sky TV/ Kimberley French / Lee Miller Archives