#CulturedPeachy #NewYorkNotes #SirPaulMcCartney #Photographs1963-64 #EyesoftheStorm Earns Our Highest Recommendation @brooklynmuseum #BrooklynMuseum
Eyes of the Storm, by Sir Paul McCartney, is absolutely the most essential exhibit in the world right now. If you are lucky enough, it's going to be near you but if not, we suggest traveling to where it is because it is THAT WORTH IT.
If you, like Peachy, did not exist in 1963-64 here is your chance to live it like Sir Paul and the Beatles did as they broke into America at the peak of excitement.
It should speak volumes to you that we are now in the year 2024 and there is such massive interest in this topic; these photographs were discovered in recent years.
The last exhibit we saw anywhere that was of this caliber was many years ago at The Met in 2011: the Alexander McQueen exhibit (statistics) where incidentally, Stella McCartney spoke which you can see here in part one and part two.
Previously on Whom You Know, McCartney I II III earned our highest recommendation for our 27,000th post which we were honored to review, we reviewed Red Rose Speedway, and last fall The Beatles Now and Then and 2023 Red and Blue Albums also earned our Highest Recommendation.
In our 29,000 posts, you will see that Peachy Deegan likes everything anywhere nearly never.
Peachy liked everything in this exhibit.
Here's some of the exhibit which seeing should be the highest priority in your life right now, and see the New York and Miami rooms. We'd also encourage you to watch our entire New York Notes playlist on You Tube (our coverage of music) which includes a seven-part series with Julian Lennon, and of course both of his parents are in this exhibit.
The Brooklyn Museum Announces Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm
Exhibition features hundreds of photographs from Paul McCartney’s personal archives documenting the rise of Beatlemania.
On view May 3–August 18, 2024
Paul McCartney. Self-portrait, London, 1963. Pigmented inkjet print. © 1964 Paul McCartney under exclusive license to MPL Archive LLP
As The Beatles captured the hearts of millions, Paul McCartney captured it all on his Pentax film camera. Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm takes visitors inside the 1963–64 frenzy of Beatlemania, as the band’s first U.S. tour skyrocketed them to global fame. More than 250 of McCartney’s photographs, recently rediscovered in his archives, reveal his singular vantage point at the center of this whirlwind of attention and adoration—illuminating both the historical, and the personal, moments McCartney and his bandmates experienced together. First on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, the exhibition makes its New York debut at the Brooklyn Museum, opening May 3, 2024, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“Since first arriving in New York in February 1964, Paul McCartney has built a strong, everlasting connection to the city. His vibrant photographs from The Beatles’ first visit capture the energy of the city, the excitement of the American fans, and the frenzy of the band’s status as celebrities. Yet the images also record The Beatles’ fun and delight with each other. Through McCartney’s lens, we feel the intensity of being at the center of such extraordinary events,” says Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Decorative Arts.
In an immersive installation of photography, video clips, and archival material, Eyes of the Storm traces the period when The Beatles played concert halls in Liverpool and London and began to tour internationally, first to Paris and then to the United States.
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052 718.501.6354 press@brooklynmuseum.org January 22, 2024 1 of 2
McCartney’s photographs convey the intensity of the band’s touring schedule in the U.S., as the Fab Four were swept from concerts to hotels to the road with rabid fans and paparazzi at their heels, from New York and Washington, DC, to Miami. The band’s arrival in New York signaled a turning point in popular culture, as their first televised performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was watched by around seventy-three million people and launched The Beatles into superstardom.
McCartney’s explorations in photography reflect his commitment to both the musical and visual arts. The range of work, from portraiture and landscape photos to documentary images, reveals McCartney’s familiarity with the formal styles of early 1960s photography. References to New Wave, documentary filmmaking, and photojournalism can be found across the exhibition.
Eyes of the Storm not only showcases McCartney’s artistic versatility but also serves as a personal and historical archive. In addition to documenting the demands of touring and nonstop media attention, the photographs evoke an affectionate family album, picturing his fellow band members, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, at a time when their lives were changing irrevocably. The exhibition gives visitors a highly personal glimpse into an extraordinary time period of one of music’s enduring legends.
Born in Liverpool, England, Paul McCartney rose to prominence as a founding member of The Beatles. Throughout his lifetime, McCartney has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of popular music and culture more broadly.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm has been organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, England, in collaboration with Paul McCartney. It is curated by Paul McCartney with Sarah Brown for MPL Communications and Rosie Broadley for the National Portrait Gallery. The presentation at the Brooklyn Museum is organized by Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Decorative Arts, and Jennie Tang, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director of Art and the Director of Curatorial Affairs.
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About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
