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PAUL McCARTNEY INVITES YOU TO HIS BEATLE WORLD AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
NILOFER KHAN
The Phoblographer
LAST UPDATED ON 08/28/2024
The brilliance of photography is that anyone can be a photographer. Whether you are a salesman, a writer, a homemaker, or even a student, chances are we all know a connoisseur of the medium. While one relishes witnessing the fleeting moments in pictures, the delight gushes like an avalanche if it’s through the lens of prominent celebrities. Norman Reedus, Patti Smith, Jeff Bridges, Viggo Mortensen, Zendaya, and more such luminaries have dominated the entertainment world and captured the hearts of photography enthusiasts. But, amidst their spell-binding works, one person stands out the most: Paul McCartney.
A legendary musician who belonged to an iconic band, McCarntey’s photographs illustrate an intimate side of the band and their connection with one another. To honor and treasure this legacy, the National Portrait Gallery of London has organized a spectacular showcase, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm, at the Portland Art Museum. The exhibit commences on September 14, 2024, and continues until January 19, 2025.
The exhibition, which includes more than 250 immensely intimate photographs by Paul McCartney, witnesses The Beatles’ swift ascent from being Britain’s national treasure to conquering the hearts of millions, a feat that still remains untouched. The pictures and video clips, discovered recently, welcome viewers to an exclusive new world of the heartthrobs, concealed from the posed or paparazzi photographs. With each image, McCartney delves deep into what the stardom meant to the band, their experiences, their fans, and the Beatlemania splendor. To encapsulate, the showcase and archival material unveil the beginning of the “British invasion” that changed rock and roll music and charmed American society.
“Looking at these photos now, decades after they were taken, I find there’s a sort of innocence about them,” said Paul McCartney about the photographs. “Everything was new to us at this point. But I like to think I wouldn’t take them any differently today. They now bring back so many stories, a flood of special memories, which is one of the many reasons I love them all, and know that they will always fire my imagination.”
“I know several influencers who would probably say things like, ‘I could’ve shot this, why isn’t my work in a museum?’ The honest truth is that Paul shot from a place of emotional memory capture — not from a place of pleasing an algorithm.” — Chris Gampat, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Phoblographer.
As the title suggests, Paul McCartney captured these images in late 1963 and early 1964, crucial months for The Beatles. “And here is where you really want to get close: the details are masterfully printed. You can see things like blemishes on the faces of each individual member of the Beatles — reminding you that these are candid photographs made by a man who had immense trust in them,” our editor wrote in his review of the exhibit held at the Brooklyn Museum in May.
As you go through the showcase, you will comprehend that McCartney has a keen visual sense, and his images reflect that through his aesthetics and understanding of the pop culture of that era. Ranging from portraiture of his fellow bandmates to landscapes to documentary photographs, the exhibit reveals McCartney’s love for every subject that graced his lens, touching his soul. At the same time, it highlights the formal styles of early 1960s photography.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm has been curated by McCartney in collaboration with MPL Communications Limited’s Sarah Brown and McCartney and the National Portrait Gallery’s (London) Rosie Broadley. Julia Dolan, Ph.D., the Minor White Senior Curator of Photography, has organized the exhibition at the Portland Art Museum.
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