LONDON.- Proud Camden presents Masters & Luminaries; an iconic series of images from the 20th century’s most illustrious photographers. Shedding light on our extensive archive, Masters & Luminaries reveals the faces and photographers at the heart of Proud Galleries’ 20 year history.
From the stars of Hollywood’s golden age, to the muses of Andy Warhol’s Factory, to the trailblazing rock ‘n’ rollers who ripped up the musical rulebook, this exhibition showcases the personalities whose creativity, spontaneity and nonconformity changed the world. This unique exhibition provides an opportunity to view the works of legendary photographers such as Brian Duffy, Brian Aris, David McCabe and Eric Swayne alongside each other, giving an insight into the true gestalt of this age of optimism and hedonism. Shadowing and often partying with the icons of the swinging sixties and seventies, these pioneering photographers captured both the histrionic sense of performance of the age, and the intimate moments which made up the reality of the lives of its most famous faces.
Masters and Luminaries sheds a light on the fluctuating division between the personal and the professional at a time when the careers of supermodels, film-stars and musicians alike were often deeply intertwined with the aesthetic vision of photographers. After a chance meeting with a then 15 year old Twiggy, Justin De Villeneuve launched the world’s first supermodel, his images providing an insight into the process of cultivating a true fashion icon. Conversely, Brian Aris’s early punk shots of Debbie Harry appear to be a photographic response to, or reflection of, her liberal performance rituals, intoxicating stage presence and stylistic experimentations. Finally, it is John Byrne Cooke who provides a rare glimpse into the personal life of poet and musical genius, Bob Dylan. As a fellow folk musician, Cooke offers us an intimate portrait of Dylan, capturing relaxed moments with friends and family and quiet moments of reflection that would usually remain hidden.
Also featuring Brian Duffy’s revolutionary Aladdin Sane ‘Eyes Open’ outtake, David McCabe’s candid shots from inside Andy Warhol’s notorious Factory and Gijsbert Hanekroot’s captivating photos of the Rolling Stones during their explosive success, this exhibition provides a truly multifaceted look at the birth of pop culture itself.
