Christina Bellin

Christina P. Bellin (1937 – April 27, 1988) was an American model and an international social figure who was born in New York City. Her full name was Christina Paolozzi Bellin.

Daughter of heiress

Bellin was the daughter of Alicia Spaulding, a United Fruit Company heiress, and Count Lorenzo Paolozzi. She grew up in Rome, Italy, and was educated in Switzerland and at the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia.

Photographer's model

Bellin began modeling at the age of 17. She posed for a nude photograph taken by Richard Avedon in Harper's Bazaar in 1962. The picture caused a sensation because at the time fashion magazines did not publish unclothed figures.

Marriage

In 1964 Bellin married Dr. Howard Bellin, a plastic surgeon. The couple gave grand parties attended by an eclectic group which included Andy Warhol, Jacob Javits, Zsa Zsa Gabor, karate instructors, and almost any glamorous personality who was visiting New York at the time.

The Bellins divorced in 1982 and remarried again four months later when Mrs. Bellin fell ill. They divorced a second time when she seemed to be recovering.

Death

Christina Bellin died of a brain tumor at her Manhattan home in 1988. She was 50 years old. She was survived by two sons, Marco and Andy, a sister, Francesca, and her mother, all of Manhattan. Her funeral was held at St. James Church at Madison Avenue and 71st Street in Manhattan.

References

• New York Times, Christina P. Bellin, 49, Former Model, Is Dead, April 29, 1988, Page D22.