Cecil Beaton: The New York Years catalogs the illustrious London-based photographer’s time in the vibrant city, chronicling Beaton’s various works and influential relationships within New York’s creative scene. “Beaton and New York were made for each other,” asserts author Donald Albrecht, citing how the charged atmosphere gave Beaton the opportunity to reinvent himself, and revolutionize fashion journalism.

Beaton’s ingenuity extended to multiple creative disciplines, including illustration, costume and set design, and interior design. The New York Years features a variety of these projects as well as personal correspondence, many previously unpublished, which not only offer a glimpse into Beaton’s mind, but his close relationships with the likes of film icon Greta Garbo, writer Truman Capote, and famed fashion editor Diana Vreeland. Published in accompaniment to the exhibition of Beaton’s work at the Museum of the City of New York, currently on view through February 2012, The New York Years is an inspirational, visually rich collection befitting of Beaton’s legendary career.

Cecil Beaton: The New York Years, by Donald Albrecht, is available through Rizzoli, and accompanying exhibition on view at Museum of the City of New York through Spring 2012.

All photographs courtesy Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s.

Written by Caroline Pham