Fontainebleau Pool

Description

Fontainebleau Pool freezes a diver at the apex of his arc above the architectural joke Morris Lapidus created – a swimming pool shaped like a cat at the newly-minted Miami Beach pleasure palace. In 1955, just months after the Fontainebleau Hotel opened its doors, Slim Aarons captured this athletic leap above turquoise water curved into feline form, a detail so wonderfully absurd it became the hotel signature. The unnamed athlete hangs suspended between diving board and water, his form impeccable against the geometric whimsy below. Here was contemporary America at play, where serious architecture could wink at its audience, where Ben Novack invested $14 million to commission the architect to create what no one had seen before – a pool that purred.

This print positions you among those who recognize when structure transcends function to become pure delight. Your guests will pause, lean closer, and suddenly understand that exceptional spaces go beyond mere building – designers choreograph them for joy. Each viewing reveals the confidence of an era that turned concrete into comedy, engineering into entertainment. Fontainebleau Pool announces your appreciation for the instant American hospitality discovered showmanship, when visionaries began creating not just buildings but experiences that would make people smile fifty years later.

More than poolside photography, this image documents the birth of the Miami Modern movement and its playful spirit. Slim Aarons understood he was witnessing an unprecedented scene – a major hotel announcing through theatrical wit. Aarons recognized the cultural shift happening at 4441 Collins Avenue, where the Fontainebleau would soon host television specials with Sinatra and provide backdrops for Goldfinger. Your living room or study becomes curator to this collision of athleticism and artistry, this proof that luxury could laugh at its own grandeur.

Available in photo lustre or matte finish, professionally framed in black, white, or natural wood to complement your décor. Secure this celebration of creative audacity – the instant when one graceful dive met one perfectly peculiar pool. Make your space part of history today.