David Bailey: Stardust
Today I went to the press viewing of Bailey's Stardust, a retrospective of David Bailey's career at The National Portrait Gallery. The mahoosive collection of three hundred photos are not exhibited chronologically, but instead are divided into themes, demonstrating how imensely and excitingly varied Bailey's work is - fashion, celebrities, indigenous peoples in far away lands, a whole room dedicated to portraits of his wife and muse, Catherine, and a fascinating set of photos of post-war East London where old-looking young people grin at us through cigarette-smoke hazes in pubs.
Going around near-empty gallery spaces is amazing, especially when you know that a popular exhibition is going to be utterly rammed.
The director of the NPG told us that this retrospective had come about because of a conversation he'd had with David Bailey five years ago, where he suggested Bailey opened up his archives and showed the public some things we hadn't seen before, hung up next to his greatest hits. As a photographer, David Bailey is without a doubt, a household name, and this collection of his work demonstrates his enormous commercial success, but also vast talent, and something special. His subjects, whether they be famous film stars, or tribespeople from Papua New Guinea, open up to him, he captures a twinkle in their eye.
This baby (below) was by far the youngest member of the press in attendance. He seemed enthralled by the skulls section; Bailey has a wide-reaching appeal.
Looking at some of the photos is a bit like turning the pages of a fashion magazine, others are more startlingly personal or unsettling, or both - like the one of his wife, Catherine, below.
The director of the gallery told us that the exhibition will spend the summer in France, and next summer will head to Edinburgh. Fear not, Scotland-based photography fans, it'll be worth the wait. Bailey's Stardust opens 6th Feb and runs until June. I highly recommend this stunning exhibition, and a look at a truly remarkable British photography legend.