Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things
Robin Muir
(Text by (Art/Photo Books))
Cecil Beaton
(Photographer)
Description
The stylish and extravagant world of the "Bright Young Things" of 1920s and '30s London, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton
In 1920s and '30s Britain, Cecil Beaton used his camera and his larger-than-life personality to mingle with that flamboyant and rebellious group of artists, writers, socialites and partygoers who became known as the "Bright Young Things." Famously fictionalized by the likes of Evelyn Waugh (in Vile Bodies), Anthony Powell and Henry Green, these men and women cut a dramatic swathe through the epoch and embodied its roaring spirit.
In a series of themed chapters, covering Beaton's first self-portraits and earliest sitters to his time at Cambridge and as principle society photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair, over 50 leading figures who sat for Beaton are profiled and the dazzling parties, pageants and balls of the period are brought to life. Among this glittering cast are Beaton's socialite sisters Baba and Nancy Beaton, Stephen Tennant, Siegfried Sassoon, Evelyn Waugh and Daphne du Maurier. Beaton's photographs are complemented by a wide range of letters, drawings, book jackets and ephemera, and contextualised by artworks created by those in his circle, including Christopher Wood, Rex Whistler and Henry Lamb. Cecil Beaton (1904-80) is one of the most celebrated British portrait photographers of the 20th century and is renowned for his images of elegance, glamour and style. Beaton quickly developed a reputation for his striking and fantastic photographs, which culminated in his portraits of Queen Elizabeth in 1939. Also well known as a diarist, Beaton became a society fixture in his own right. His influence on portrait photography was profound and lives on today in the work of many contemporary photographers.--Sean O'Hagan "Guardian"Product Details
Price
$49.95
$46.45
Publisher
National Portrait Gallery
Publish Date
May 12, 2020
Pages
280
Dimensions
9.9 X 11.2 X 1.1 inches | 3.95 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781855147720
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About the Author
Robin Muir is a writer and curator, specializing in photography. He was formerly a picture editor at British Vogue and the Sunday Times Magazine. He writes frequently for the international press, and his many publications include The World's Most Photographed, Vogue Covers, and David Bailey: Chasing Rainbows.
Reviews
A magnificently atmospheric display of pure magic--Lucie Davies "Telegraph"
An era's fun and flamboyance preserved in aspic.--Rachel Campbell-Johnston "The Times"
As they posed, partied and donned extravagant costumes, Beaton captured the antics of Britain's young aristocrats between the wars.--Sean O'Hagan "Guardian"
Glittering portrait of a gilded generation.--Melanie McDonagh "Evening Standard"
A century ago, a bohemian set of aristos and artists oozed glamour and wreaked havoc all through the streets of London.--Hannah Betts "Daily Mail"
Power, privilege and glamour in 1920s London: Inside the glittering world of the Bright Young Things--Eve Watling "Independent"
Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things Are Tinged With Darkness--Will Noble "Londonist"
explores the aesthetic 1920s set and the photographer who chronicled them.--Brian T. Allen "National Review"
The 'Bright Young Things, ' as a flamboyant group of artists, writers and socialites came to be known, are shown here in all their decadence, boundless creativity and utter fashionability.--Ken Scrudato "Blackbook"
Cecil Beaton and His Bright Young Things Are More Pertinent Than Ever--Jack Moss "AnOther"
Decades after Cecil Beaton captured their heyday on camera, his most colourful characters are taking us for a spin again--Hugo Vickers "Telegraph"
Beaton changed fashion photography forever.--Robin Muir "Vogue: UK"
Returning to Beaton's enchanted world is a tonic in a fear-ridden age, the catalogue, written by the exhibition's curator, Robin Muir, a delight.--David Platzer "New Criterion"
From Bright Young Thing and documenter of London's lost generation of the 20s to a documenter of a new generation who would lose their lives in the Second World War, this is just one slice of Cecil Beaton's remarkable life through photography--Mark Simpson "AnOther Man"
An era's fun and flamboyance preserved in aspic.--Rachel Campbell-Johnston "The Times"
As they posed, partied and donned extravagant costumes, Beaton captured the antics of Britain's young aristocrats between the wars.--Sean O'Hagan "Guardian"
Glittering portrait of a gilded generation.--Melanie McDonagh "Evening Standard"
A century ago, a bohemian set of aristos and artists oozed glamour and wreaked havoc all through the streets of London.--Hannah Betts "Daily Mail"
Power, privilege and glamour in 1920s London: Inside the glittering world of the Bright Young Things--Eve Watling "Independent"
Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things Are Tinged With Darkness--Will Noble "Londonist"
explores the aesthetic 1920s set and the photographer who chronicled them.--Brian T. Allen "National Review"
The 'Bright Young Things, ' as a flamboyant group of artists, writers and socialites came to be known, are shown here in all their decadence, boundless creativity and utter fashionability.--Ken Scrudato "Blackbook"
Cecil Beaton and His Bright Young Things Are More Pertinent Than Ever--Jack Moss "AnOther"
Decades after Cecil Beaton captured their heyday on camera, his most colourful characters are taking us for a spin again--Hugo Vickers "Telegraph"
Beaton changed fashion photography forever.--Robin Muir "Vogue: UK"
Returning to Beaton's enchanted world is a tonic in a fear-ridden age, the catalogue, written by the exhibition's curator, Robin Muir, a delight.--David Platzer "New Criterion"
From Bright Young Thing and documenter of London's lost generation of the 20s to a documenter of a new generation who would lose their lives in the Second World War, this is just one slice of Cecil Beaton's remarkable life through photography--Mark Simpson "AnOther Man"
