Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Angus McBean Portraits by Terence Pepper, 23 Nov 2006
Angus McBean Portraits, written by Terence Pepper and published by the National Portrait Gallery Publications to coincide with the National Portrait Gallery's recent retrospective exhibition of Angus McBean's masterful, unique and thought provoking photographic images made over his lifetime from 1936 to 1984. Angus McBean is one of Britains finest twentieth century photographers and image makers.
Terence Pepper, Curator of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery, London has used McBean's unpublished autobiography as a source of information and reference for his book. The book takes the reader on the journey through McBeans early life from humble beginnings as a child born in Wales of an average family in 1904 to his death on his eighty fourth birthday in 1990.
The young McBean became involved in amateur productions at the Lyceum Theatre in his home town in Monmouthshire for which he made props and costumes. At fifteen he began taking photographs.
McBean moved to London after his fathers death in 1924
and later became the primary photographer for the Old Vic, the National Theatre, Sadler's Wells, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford and many others. McBean, through his work, came into contact with and photographed the famous stars of the theatre, musicians including the Beatles and Cliff Richard and other celebrated individuals at his London studio and in the theatre.
McBean's photographic career spanned nearly seventy years during which time he was involved in photography of seven hundred plays and theatre productions, amassed forty eight thousand glass plate negatives of his images and portraits. McBeans creative energy, technical genius and wit is evident within his photographic work.
The book shows one hundred of Mc Bean's best loved photographs from theatre life in London between 1936 to 1960, featuring classic portraits and his surrealist inspired portraits of actresses including Flora Robson and Audrey Hepburn. Included are self portrait annual Christmas cards made by McBeans for friends and family.
McBean, as a photographer follows in the footsteps of some of Britains most illustrious portraitists of constructed images such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll and Madame Yevonde. His surrealist images
of Audrey Hepburn are legendary, as is his portrait of Vivian Leigh, 1938 which was used for the cover of the book and selected for use by the Post Office as a stamp for the series Stars of the British Screen. The book highlights McBeans double exposure techniques and re-photographing techniques that were part of his method of working. The book serves as an appetiser but leaves the reader wanting more information about McBeans photoraphic methods, tricks and secrets.
Pepper starts the book with an riveting introduction taking the reader on a journey embracing McBeans early life into adulthood and beyond to McBeans comeback in 1982 with anecdotes and stories describing McBeans life, creative energy and dedication to his great love of photography, art, mask making and the theatre. The book details in chronological order Angus McBeans birth in 1904 and ends with McBeans death in 1990.
Terence Pepper's book includes an interview with Sir Paul McCartney on his experiences of been photographed by McBean as a Beatle in 1963 and 1969. This interview is somewhat safe and polite gives the impression McCartney had very little recollection of McBean or the photo shoot as an event.
The book serves as an appetiser but leaves one wanting more information on the working methods and the life of this now legendary photographer.
Angus McBean Portraits by Terence Pepper has broad appeal to those who love photography, art, theatre and music. I fully endorse and recommend this book as a second experience following the exhibition. For those unable to see the exhibition, Angus McBean Portraits is as close to being at the exhibition as is possible.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Angus McBean Portraits, 24 Nov 2007
Angus McBean Portraits, illustrated with full-page reproductions won't be out of place on any coffee table. Terence Pepper is the Curator of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery, and has managed to find rare stills of McBean's unusual work for this gorgeous looking book. Pepper's fascinating text about this original British protographer is insightful. He has even included intriguing extracts from the photographer's unpublished autobiography which makes for riveting reading. Angus McBean was an iconoclastic photographer who was visually ahead of his time, proof of which is illustrated by the extraordinary repros of his work in this glossy book. Besides his original portraiture work of stars like Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor and Margot Fonteyn to name just a few, McBean concentrated on stage production pictures including the rare ones of Vivien Leigh in "A Streetcar Named Desire" which feature in the book. Born in 1904, Angus McBean's career was revitalised in his later years when he photographed Sixties icons including the Beatles. He photographed them for their first EP and several of their albums: he took the famous photographs of the Beatles leaning over a balcony. Terence Pepper interviewed Sir Paul McCartney for the book, who reminisces about working with the iconoclastic photographer. 'Perhaps if I ever go down in photographic history, it will be as the man who took the picture of Audrey Hepburn in the sand .....' is one of McBean's quotes in the book. Seeing surrealistic portraits of legendary actors in unusual settings is historical and interesting. Angus McBean Portraits would make a marvellous Christmas gift - in fact it would make a marvellous gift full stop!
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