Sixty years after the Beatles performed their final concert at Candlestick Park, the Fab Four return to SF with Paul McCartney’s recently discovered pictures.
Paul McCartney, “George Harrison” (Miami Beach, February, 1964, chromogenic print)
It’s undisputed that the Beatles still inspire and provide musical salve to Spotify playlists worldwide. I saw someone wearing a “Beatles Are Forever” T-shirt last summer and thought those three words summarize not so much a sentiment as a fact of life, like Half Dome, the tides or the rising sun—timeless, immovable and impossible to ignore.
Presented exclusively in California at the de Young Museum and organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm unveils more than 250 of McCartney’s photographs, alongside rare video clips and archival materials, capturing the raw energy and behind-the-scenes moments of the Beatles’ rapid rise to global fame.
Hidden away for six decades as unprinted negatives and contact sheets, McCartney’s intimate photographs of the Beatles were rediscovered in his personal archive in 2020, offering a rare, firsthand glimpse into the band’s earliest days.
Paul McCartney, “Self-portrait,” (London, 1963, pigmented inkjet print)
Eyes of the Storm covers December 1963 through February 1964 in England and the United States. The images reflect a visual song of youthful frenzy, grappling with stardom and the ennui that comes from nonstop touring and being sequestered in hotel rooms. McCartney, the promotional glue behind the Fab Four, was wise enough to document everything, from adoring crowds to George Harrison, behind dark sunglasses and smoking a cigarette, sharing a moment with a woman in a yellow bikini.
What’s striking about this image and others is McCartney’s skills with a camera. The framing and composition are often perfect, as he captures candids like a savvy documentarian or street photographer. It’s like the band had photographer Vivian Maier along for this wild ride. These images are that good.
“It’s a revelation to discover McCartney’s proficiency as a photographer, documenting everything from the band’s quieter moments and friendships to the Beatlemania of the time,” says Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “We’re honored to present this exhibition here in San Francisco, where The Beatles left an indelible mark on our city’s musical and cultural history.”
Paul McCartney, “West 58th Street, crossing 6th Avenue,” (New York, February 1964, pigmented inkjet print)
The exhibit’s organizing curator, Sally Martin Katz, says McCartney’s work bears witness to a pivotal cultural moment through the camera with a keen artistic eye. “From portraiture to landscapes and documentary shots, McCartney demonstrates a deep understanding of the formal styles prevalent in early 1960s photography. Throughout the exhibition, nods to New Wave, documentary filmmaking and photojournalism underscore McCartney’s multifaceted approach to capturing the spirit of the time.” (McCartney didn’t meet photographer Linda Eastman until 1967, so this is McCartney flying solo without the photographic guidance of his future wife.)
Those promoting the exhibit note that Beatlemania is back in the Bay. But the exhibit proves that it never truly went away. Over the past six decades, the long and winding road of music has always led us back here, harmonizing with the beat of human experience. March 1-July 6, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., famsf.org, @deyoungmuseum
Photography by: PAUL MCCARTNEY/MPL ARCHIVE
