I am a bit of a David Bailey fanboy so this might be a somewhat biased review. Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffey he is considered to have been influential in helping to create the "Swinging 60's" culture in London. His name is synonymous with photography in fact he is one of the few photographers who is a household name. He is the first photographer I knew by name (in part due to a series of funny Olympus television adverts). His high contrast black and white portraits have remained a constant of his work from his early days as a vogue photographer and are a staple of his new exhibition "Stardust" at the national portrait gallery.
When I found out the national portrait gallery had given their ground floor over to Bailey I just had to make my way to London to see the show. I have several of his books but I wanted to see the work blown up on a gallery wall in all its glory, and I was not disappointed.
The exhibition is separated into different themed rooms. one room is a tribute to his wife Catherine. It is a mix of family snap (if your family snaps were taken by David Bailey) interspersed with artistic/formal dressed/nude portraits of her. There are also some quite graphic photographs of the births of their children. Upon entering this room you are under no illusion as to the depth of the love Bailey feels for his wife. She is represented in this room in her many identities wife, lover, model and mother.
There are the expected and brilliantly executed celebrity portraits but there are also shots from many of Baileys numerous non glitterati laced projects. He has hung photos of the people and locations in the east end beside and in contrast to photos of the indigenous people of the Naga Hills and their homes. This is not by accident and similarities can be drawn between the two sets of photos along the lines of tribalism and disappearing cultures.
There are also photo series from his other travels depicting aboriginals, the Sudan, Papua New Guinea, and Dehli. These show that he is not a one trick pony, he has a curiosity about the world and he wants to see and record as much of it as possible.
Among the portraits of celebrities, artists and photographers there are six images from his "Democracy" project. Over a period of three years, visitors to Baileys were offered the opportunity to be photographed naked, none refused and none were rejected. Bailey used the same equipment setup, camera angle and lighting for every photo, a truly democratic process. These are my favorite Images. Baileys distinctive black and white style is applied to the human form in all of its variation.
If you happen to be in London between now and the start of June I can highly recommend spending some time with Baileys work, even if you are not as much of a fan as I am.
As i have said Bailey is one of my inspirations the photograph below is an attempt to emulate his style.
