Canadian who clicked with the great and glamorous

They are a revealing glimpse of the famous and glamorous of a bygone era. An exhibition of work by the Canadian photographer Roloff Beny provides an insight into the lives of some of the personalities who dominated the cultural stage from the 1950s onwards, including Laurence Olivier, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev and Coco Chanel.

Best known for his interpretations of classical architecture and sculpture, a feature of Beny's rarer portraits were the anecdotes he attached to many of them.

On his portrait of Rex Harrisonhe describes how he went to the actor's Hollywood home, expecting the shoot to last 10 minutes. Hours later, after a tour of the villa and several songs from Harrison's wife Rachel Roberts, the photographer ran out of time. "I realised I had a plane to catch and I snapped Rex in his monogrammed slippers."

On a photo of Tennessee Williams, taken in 1958, Beny acknowledged the brilliant dialogue the dramatist wrote, then added: "But in conversation he wandered so, that I can't remember anything he said."

Beny, who died in 1984, referred to the photographs as his "People" archive.

The exhibition, at Christie's, in King Street, London, runs from 11 to 22 August.