Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. To mark the occasion the V&A has mounted a ticketed exhibition of photographic portraits by royal photographer Cecil Beaton (1904-1980).
Curated by Susanna Brown, Curator of Photographs at the V&A, Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration features almost 100 portraits, including some not seen before. The images have been sourced from the UK's national collection of photography held by the V&A. The Cecil Beaton collection, bequeathed to the V&A in 1987, includes 18,000 original prints, negatives and transparencies, as well as over 40 volumes of press cuttings.
The exhibition charts the changes in Beaton's artistic style from his early images inspired by the intricacy of Rococo to the simplicity and starkness of the 1960s.
Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration
The display shows Her Majesty in her numerous roles: as a teenage princess, as wife and mother, and as long-standing monarch. The installation also features excerpts from Beaton's diaries and correspondence, revealing the nature of the long relationship between the photographer and his Queen. The display is enhanced by sheets of contact prints, volumes of press cuttings, archive film and radio footage from the time.
Cecil Beaton Shaped the Monarchy's Public Image
Elizabeth was a teenager when she first sat for Beaton in 1942. Beaton photographed the Royal Family for three decades from the 1930s to the late 1960s. He shaped the monarchy's public image through his carefully planned portraits, and his images were among the most widely published photographs of the 20th Century.
Detailed planning went into a photographic session. Some portraits, like Queen Elizabeth II in Coronation Robes, were carefully staged to show The Queen at her most regal. Others, like Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Andrew (1960) were informal. However, even informal portraits needed a lot of forward planning. Notes on the reverse of this image refer to the press embargo, cropping instructions and other information about the sitting, showing how Beaton controlled the use of his images.
The installation also features portraits of Cecil Beaton himself, taken by other photographers such as David Bailey, Irving Penn and Curtis Moffat.
Jubilee Celebration – Exhibition Catalogue
To accompany the exhibition V&A Publishing has released a 128-page catalogue by Susanna Brown (ISBN: 9781851776542). Featuring contributions from Sir Roy Strong and Mario Testino, the book features 30 colour, and 70 black and white images, the publication is priced at £19.99.
Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration will be open from 8th February to 22nd April 2012. Tickets, together with further information about the exhibition and catalogue, can be obtained from the V&A.
Diamond Jubilee Celebration on Tour
During Her Majesty's Jubilee year, a touring version of the exhibition will visit public galleries in the UK and abroad, as follows:
- Dundee, McManus Gallery from 30th September 2011 to 8th January 2012
- Leeds City Museum from 8th May to 24th June 2012
- Norwich Castle Museum from 7th July to 30th September 2012
- Laing Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear from 13th October to 2nd December 2012
- Fine Art Gallery, Ballarat, Australia from 25th February to 15th April 2012
- Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from 1st June to 3rd September 2012
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
