Introduction to a Unique Exhibition
It is not exactly the National Portrait Gallery in London. Or the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Or even the Portland Art Museum. But after two years of waiting, Los Angeles finally found a home for Paul McCartney’s historical snapshots from the first American invasion of the Beatles. McCartney’s photo exhibition, with its big, sometimes blurry eyes, can be seen in the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills until June 21st. Unlike previous stops in LA, the prints have price tags, and you can actually buy one.
Background Story
For those who are not familiar with McCartney’s globe-trotting photo exhibition, a little background story is necessary. At the end of 1963, shortly before the Beatles’ world-shaking debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, McCartney got a new camera – a sexy small 35-mm Pentax SLR. He took it everywhere and photographed almost everything: the mop tops that helped around the plane, the Fab Four strolling through Central Park, and their post-Sullivan trip to Miami.
The Lost Photos
Then McCartney apparently forgot all about the pictures. They were developed and kept… for the next 60 years. It wasn’t until the pandemic, when Sir Paul – like the rest of us – was browsing through cupboards, that he and his team discovered the long-lost contact sheets, negatives, and color foils. The result was Eye of the Storm, a photo exhibition that premiered in 2023 in the London National Portrait Gallery. It was such a hit that McCartney decided to take the pictures on the road, visiting museums in Virginia, Tokyo, and – its current station – San Francisco.
A Different Approach for LA
But for LA, McCartney did something different. Instead of offering the exhibition to the Broad or LACMA or Annenberg, he and his team put together a slightly different set of pictures from the same period – including some previously unseen ones – and brought it to the Gagosian, where the works could be more than admired. They could be acquired. The 36 exhibited works – solo images, some contact sheets with dozens of frames – are available in ultra-limited editions of six to ten signed prints each, priced between $15,000 and $85,000 (yes, per photo).
A Unique Opportunity
Imagine it as a concert for billionaires – if your idea of a band T-shirt includes authentication and a custom frame. According to Joshua Chuang, the director of the gallery, "There are some overlaps with the pictures from Eye of the Storm, but even these pictures look different in our show. And yes, the big difference is the fact that you can buy them." If you can afford it, why not? Although McCartney is better known for his musical talents, he was a pretty fabulous photographer, and he and his Pentax were certainly in the right place at the right time.
The Significance of the Photos
At that time, the Beatles were, of course, one of the most photographed people on earth – which makes these photos so revealing. They offer a Paul’s-eye view of what the Beatles saw when they landed in America. "In his pictures, there’s almost a sense of awe at what was happening to them," says Chuang. "A sense of how even they couldn’t believe it." Another reason to check the exhibition? It will probably never happen again. "Paul doesn’t try to start a different career as an art photographer," says Chuang. "These are limited editions – six, eight, maybe ten copies – and that’s it."
