Alan Cumming

The private lives of public personalities are intriguing and alluring. In this portrait of the Scottish-born, New York City-based actor Alan Cumming, photographer Tom Atwood offers a peek into a celebrity’s home and insight into his personality. Glowing light filters through the curtained window of the library where Cumming poses shirtless, wearing black leather bracelets. Standing up, he leans forward with his hands on an antique desk. A newspaper, a bowl, and a bag of cereal are spread out before him like a still life. The graceful composition and Cumming’s thoughtful and imaginative gaze imbue the photograph with a whimsical and theatrical sense of anticipation.

This portrait belongs to Atwood’s acclaimed series and book Kings & Queens in Their Castles, for which he traveled to over thirty states, creating extraordinary images of more than 350 LGBTQ+ individuals in their homes.