Joshua Chuang, recently appointed as a photography director at the Gagosian gallery, had an idea when he visited the 2023 “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm” exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The exhibit, featuring rare photos from McCartney’s personal archive, sparked his interest in pitching a similar project to the gallery. As fate would have it, McCartney himself had reached out to Gagosian’s owner, Larry Gagosian, with a similar idea.
This coincidence led to the creation of an exhibition at Gagosian’s Beverly Hills location, opening on April 25, showcasing 36 of McCartney’s personal photographs. These images, priced between $12,000 and several hundred thousand dollars, offer a unique perspective on The Beatles during the band’s rise to fame in the 1960s. Taken between 1963 and 1964, the photographs were shot across multiple cities, including Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, and Miami, capturing both the public and private lives of the band as they navigated sudden superstardom.
Chuang emphasizes the uniqueness of these photographs, pointing out that The Beatles were among the most photographed people of the era, yet they used their own cameras to document their journey. The photos not only serve as historical records but also provide an intimate view of the group. While many images in this exhibition overlap with those in the museum show, the gallery has worked to produce ultra-high-quality prints, distinguishing them from the exhibition copies.
The collection, which includes negatives, contact sheets, and color slides, is printed using a variety of advanced techniques. Black-and-white negatives are developed traditionally but exposed digitally, while contact sheets are scanned at ultra-high resolutions. The color images are created using a process called dye sublimation, ensuring vibrant, long-lasting colors.
Each piece will be editioned and signed by McCartney, with the number of editions to be finalized closer to the exhibition. Several photographs may have multiple frames printed on a single sheet, increasing the total number of images available for sale.
The exhibition comes at a time when McCartney’s star is shining even brighter, with his original photo exhibition opening at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and McCartney performing at various venues. Chuang predicts strong interest from collectors, whether as works of art or Beatles memorabilia, noting that this is the first time McCartney’s signed photo editions are being offered to the public.
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