CHRIS BEETLES PRESENTS

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

13-30 OCTOBER 2010

- 43 photographers in a museum quality survey of twentieth-century

photography.
- Exhibited for the first time – the classic 1973 album cover of David Bowie as
Aladdin Sane by Brian Duffy.
- Irving Penn’s rare, iconic 1957 portrait of Picasso.
- Superb early prints including examples by Eugène Atget, Jacques-Henri Lartigue
and Lewis Hine.
- A group of important British photojournalism including work by Bill Brandt, John
Bulmer, Roger Mayne, Philip Jones Griffiths and Martin Parr.
- A wonderful group of 20th century American photographs including work by
Margaret Bourke-White, Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Eve Arnold
and Bruce Davidson.

Peter Henry Emerson Angus McBean John Bulmer

Eugène Atget Philippe Halsman Bill Brandt
Lewis Hine Horst P Horst Roger Mayne
André Kertész Norman Parkinson Philip Jones Griffiths
Josef Sudek Irving Penn Martin Parr
Jacques-Henri Lartigue Robert Doisneau Snowdon
Brassaï Arnold Newman David Bailey
Martin Munkacsi Eve Arnold Terence Donovan
Margaret Bourke-White Bruce Davidson Duffy
Berenice Abbott O Winston Link Patrick Lichfield
Ansel Adams Ruth Orkin Terry O’Neill
Manuel Alvarez Bravo Mario Giacomelli John Swannell
Walker Evans Thurston Hopkins Paul Kenny
Cecil Beaton Elliot Erwitt
Yousuf Karsh Edwin Smith

Photography is the most culturally significant art form of the last 150 years, and yet prints
are still available at prices that are low compared to other types of art. The market for
photographs is large and varied, and is also full of opportunity – in terms of price but
more importantly, content. As a reproducible medium, it is possible for a collector to
purchase a masterpiece that also hangs in museums worldwide, but also to make
discoveries that no one else can own.

In ‘The Photographers’, our first photographic exhibition to include international names,

we have succeeded in demonstrating this appealing aspect of the market. Included are
such celebrated images as Melancholic Tulip (1939) by André Kertész, The Daughter of the
Dancers (1933) by Manuel Á lvarez Bravo and a spectacular print of Winston Churchill
(1941) by Yousuf Karsh. But, we also offer such lesser-known gems as Boy with a calf …
(1908) by Lewis Hine, Self Portrait in a Distorting Mirror … (1950) by Eve Arnold, Study of
a Marble Figure by Edwin Smith, and extraordinary, beautiful, camera-less images by Paul
Kenny.

Over the last four years, the photography department at the Chris Beetles Gallery has
gone from strength to strength. Starting in 2006 with the inimitable Terry O’Neill, we
initially concentrated on British photographers, as they seemed woefully underrated in
the market. These efforts, which included exhibitions of Snowdon, Terence Donovan, John
Swannell, Patrick Lichfield, Cecil Beaton, Bill Brandt, Duffy, Norman Parkinson and Edwin
Smith, met with considerable success, and we felt confident enough to broaden our
horizons and embrace international names. This exhibition marks the pinnacle of our
efforts to promote photography to date, but it also initiates a new, ambitious programme
– to become a key photography gallery on the international stage. The UK has a huge
appetite for photography, which is clear from the way the medium pervades our
museums, bookshops and newspaper supplements, but we are no match for America or
continental Europe in terms of commercial gallery spaces. In 2010, it is still very difficult
to buy a print by many world-famous photographers in London. This is something we
hope to change, starting with ‘The Photographers’.
Notes
1. The exhibition takes place from Wednesday 13 October - Saturday 30 October 2010 from
Monday - Saturday, 10am - 5.30pm at
CHRIS BEETLES GALLERY,
8 & 10 Ryder Street,
London SW1Y 6QB
2. Free Digital images are available on request from the gallery.
3. A fully illustrated catalogue will be on sale, and all images will be featured on our website.
4. Press contact:
Giles Huxley Parlour,
Tel: 020 7839 7551 Fax: 020 7839 1603
gallery@chrisbeetles.com
www.chrisbeetles.com