The Fab Four in Photos
Paul McCartney's personal collection documents the Beatles' rise to fame
by Jim Provenzano
Complementing recent film documentaries about The Beatles and even a recent AI-assisted hit single, 'Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm,' the touring exhibit of the early years of The Beatles' leap to pop music stardom, are presented in an entertaining layout.
Organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, in collaboration with McCartney, this is the premiere West Coast installation of the array of 280 photos. From intimate framed portraits of fellow performers backstage, to posterized street shots of their adoring fans, the exhibit offers an intimate look at the three-month period that was the Beatles' whirlwind concert tour.
McCartney's style shows a quick eye able to get an interesting frame, more than a snapshot, as with some of his Washington DC photos snapped from a moving car. It is the insider's take that makes these shots historically important and steeped in nostalgia.
The exhibit is impressive. Along with large blowups of images of the screaming crowds and paparazzi flood of cameras, small framed images from one to two feet wide are clustered in the various rooms by setting, alternating a deep red with stately blue. The installation wall text is topped off by headers set in McCartney's handwriting.
'Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm,' through July 6, Free/$25. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoung.famsf.org
Click here to read the full article: Paul McCartney’s Photos
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