Fashion Photographer David Bailey is set to exhibit images from his illustrious archive for the first time at Photo London this September.
Bailey has selected some of his most prominent and recognisable portraits alongside beautiful work from his 80s fashion archive. Rarely seen images of Jean Shrimpton (David Hockney Face Paint) from 1963 and a playful portrait of Miles Davis from 1969, will be shown in company with incredible fashion images featuring Catherine Bailey, Jerry Hall and Helmut Newton. (Top of page – Jean Shrimpton French Collections American Vogue 1 (1971) © David Bailey)
The Englishman himself has personally selected the series of photographs which also includes some of his most high-profile black and white portraits which include depictions of Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Michael Caine.
Polaroids
Bailey’s work with the rock-and-roll band, The Rolling Stones, will also feature his famed black and white portrait of lead vocalist, Mick Jagger, the colour image of Jagger taken by Bailey for the Goat’s Head Soup cover and a vibrant 1968 portrait of the band together.
A unique series of Polaroids will also be available at the booth, featuring a selection of 100 priced at £1000 each, taken on jobs throughout Bailey’s esteemed career. This is the first time the photographer has hosted a booth at the fair, his previous involvement being a take-over of the Taschen stand for the launch of his SUMO book in 2019. David Bailey at Photo London is supported by Imitate Modern.
David Bailey
David Bailey was born on 2 January 1938 in North Leyton, located in East London. He was born to his father, Herbert Bailey, a tailor’s cutter and his wife, Gladys a machinist.
He left school at fifteen as he struggled through the system, suffering dyslexia and motor skill disorder, dyspraxia and enlisted into the Royal Air Force in 1956. Whilst posted in Singapore in 1957, he bought his first ever camera, a Rolleiflex.
Bailey started working with fashion photographer, John French as his assistant three years later in 1959. He left soon after to kick start his own career as a photographer by signing a contract with established fashion magazine, Vogue. Discarding the strict rules of a previous generation of portrait and fashion photographers, he channelled the energy of London’s newly informal street culture within his work.
Some of his most defining portrait publications include David Bailey’s Box of Pin-ups from 1965 and Goodbye Baby and Amen from 1969. In addition, during the early 1960s, he started to direct the first of hundreds of commercials and has been recognised internationally for his skills and prowess as a filmmaker. This made him one of the leading figures during the Swinging Sixties London scene alongside figures such as Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy.
Bailey has had many exhibitions worldwide and has produced some of the most famous photographic portraits of the last six decades. He has travelled extensively, and although best known for his fashion and portraiture, his interests are varied, extending beyond photography to TV commercials, film, painting and sculpture, he is a man who has delved deep into various segments of culture.
In more recent years, Bailey has taken part in Arts Wars at the Saatchi Gallery in London in October 2013, curated by curator and artist Ben Moore. The work shown was also available to see at Regents Park as part of the Art Below exhibition at Regents Park.
Imitate Modern
With its roots within contemporary and street art, Imitate Modern prides itself on being a trailblazer of the London art scene. Located in Central London, Imitate Modern cultivates talent and discovers different artists and trends creating an atmosphere to produce innovative and sometimes controversial works of art.
The gallery exhibits a line-up of artists at various stages of their practice and careers. Through rich art experiences, Imitate Modern represents experimental and exciting exhibition programs that aim to stimulate, provoke and captivate globally. These exhibitions range from internationally acclaimed solo shows to debuts of young artists, but the gallery’s intentions remain the same—to help its clients build interested and enriching collections, and most of all enjoy art in the most engaging way possible.
Awards
David Bailey has been presented with three major awards. In 2001, Bailey was awarded with the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
In 2005, he was awarded with the Centenery Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS), Royal Photographic Society and in 2016, was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Infinity Awards, in the International Center of Photography in New York.
PHOTO LONDON
9-12 September 2021
Somerset House, London WC2
All images courtesy David Bailey at Photo London presented by Imitate Modern
https://www.imitate-modern.com
