Bert Stern was a star in the world of advertising, rising from a mailroom boy for Look magazine to photographer of the stars.

All photos © Bert Stern, courtesy of Staley-Wise Gallery, New York

Twiggy in front of a Bridget Riley Painting, 1967

Some of Stern's most famous photographs are on display at New York's Staley-Wise Gallery in an exhibition entitled "Bert Stern: Original Mad Man," revealing the full sweep of his career, from his meteoric rise in the ad world of the 1950s through the 1960s and '70s.

Marlon Brando, New York, 1961

Sought after by Madison Avenue, Hollywood and the international fashion scene, Stern was at the heart of the world of photography. He photographed the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Twiggy and Louis Armstrong.

One of his most famous shoots was that of Marilyn Monroe's "The Last Sitting." The three-day shoot was commissioned by Vogue in 1962, and took place just six weeks before her death.

Marilyn Monroe (Pearls), "The Last Sitting," 1962

Bert Stern and Marilyn Monroe, "The Last Sitting," 1962

Marilyn Monroe (Fur Coat), "The Last Sitting," 1962

Lindsay Lohan, "New York" magazine, 2008

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Ischia, Italy, 1962

Gary Cooper, 1960

John F. Kennedy Jr., George magazine, 1996

Sophia Loren, "Vogue" magazine, 1962

Allegra Kent, circa 1960

Monique Chevalier with Kenneth, "Vogue" magazine, 1962

The "Bert Stern: Original Mad Man" photo exhibit is done in conjunction with a documentary of the same name.

See more featured photography curated by ABC News' photo editors, and at Picture This, the ABC News photography blog.