Phillips de Pury & Company is proud to announce Life in Photographs a selling exhibition of 26 photographs by Linda McCartney. The exhibition, a selection of highlights from an archive of 200,000 will showcase the work of a exceptionally talented photographer, capturing spontaneous and moving moments of her life. The exhibition is curated in close collaboration with Paul McCartney and the McCartney family.
“It is exciting that Phillips de Pury is mounting this exhibition of Linda’s photography. This will be the 1st time large scale prints have been made available and I look forward very much to seeing them displayed in this wonderful gallery.“ Paul McCartney.
“We are thrilled to present some of the best work by Linda McCartney. Great visual sensitivity combined with a privileged access reveal her as a seminal artist. Showing her work in large scale prints only enhances it's intimacy and power.“ Simon de Pury, Chairman Phillips de Pury & Company.
Life in Photographs will present a unique opportunity to purchase exhibition-quality prints from a moving personal collection ranging from her early rock 'n' roll portraits, through the final years of The Beatles, via touring with Wings to raising four children with Paul, Linda captured her whole world on film. Her shots range from spontaneous family pictures to studio sessions with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, as well as artists Willem de Kooning and Gilbert and George.
There will be 26 images available in the following editions: 20" x 24" - Edition 12 (though only one of these will be on display); 6ft x 4ft - Edition 3 (16 of these will be on display); 10ft x 6ft - Edition 1 (9 of these will be on display.)
A selection of photographs are also produced in the book “Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs” (Taschen 2011).
About the Artist
Linda Louise McCartney (née Eastman) was born in Scarsdale, New York, on September 24th, 1941. She graduated from Scarsdale High School, Westchester County, New York in 1960, and went on to study at the University of Arizona, where she majored in art history.
Linda got her first big break as a photographer while working as receptionist at Town and Country Magazine. She used an unwanted invitation to a Rolling Stones promotional party on the SS Sea Panther on the Hudson River in New York to document the event and photograph the band.
Linda became a professional photographer in the mid-sixties. Her pictures during this period chronicled the musical revolution of the decade. Whilst working as the house photographer at the Fillmore East in New York City she photographed many iconic musicians including; The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, B.B. King, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, The Beach Boys, The Who, Cream, The Kinks, Traffic, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix and, ultimately, The Beatles.
Linda's photograph of Eric Clapton for Rolling Stone magazine's May 11th, 1968 issue made her the first female photographer to have work featured on the cover of the magazine.
In 1968, Linda was in London to shoot an assignment on the ‘Swinging Sixties’. Linda met Paul McCartney at the Bag O’Nails Club and then again four days later at the launch of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at Brian Epstein's house in Belgravia. A year later they married at Marylebone Registry Office, London, March 12th, 1969.
After receiving credits on Paul’s solo album Ram, Linda joined Paul on stage, as keyboard player and vocalist, in Wings. She went on to write and record several songs of her own, including ‘Seaside Woman’, released in 1977 through Epic Records in the US, under the band name Suzy and The Red Stripes. Linda’s album Wide Prairie was released posthumously in 1998.
In 1989, Linda began to pioneer another passion, to save the lives of animals through promoting the vegetarian lifestyle that she and Paul long embraced. Her first two vegetarian cookbooks, Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking and Linda’s Kitchen became international best sellers. Linda’s cookbook, Linda McCartney On Tour, was published by Little, Brown & Co in 1998.
Following the huge success of her first cookbook, Linda broke new ground in 1991 by launching her own range of readymade meat free meals, which have become the most popular vegetarian foods in Britain. From an initial choice of just six meals, the range has expanded to more than 40 products.
Linda’s photography has done much to help promote the aims of many varied causes including the anti-fur lobby Lynx, Greenpeace, The Council For The Protection Of Rural England, Friends Of The Earth, The Great Ormond Street Hospital, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, The Hammersmith Hospital, The British Dyslexia Association, The Rye Memorial Hospital and War Child.
In 1998, Linda came to the aid of two other causes, the cancer charity Bacup and The Starlight Foundation – each of whom received profits associated with her sponsorship of the world’s first all-vegetarian professional cycling team.
Linda’s work has also reached the cinema screen. Her photographs of The Grateful Dead became the inspiration and focus of Grateful Dead: A Photofilm, produced from a process of making stills photography move and morph that was invented by Paul McCartney. The photofilm was honoured by entry into both the London and New York Film Festivals.
Following her previous work with short animated films – Seaside Woman and Oriental Nightfish – Linda also completed work on another animated short, Wide Prairie, which was shown in 1998.
Linda continued to work prolifically as a photographer throughout her life, documenting, amongst other things, family life, landscapes and the natural world, interiors, and portraits of artists.
Despite her work as a photographer, animal life campaigner, cookbook author, musician and vegetarian pioneer, Linda said her greatest achievement was her and Paul’s four children; Heather, Mary, Stella and James.
