Bailey's Stardust by David Bailey

History of photo: Bailey’s Stardust by David Bailey
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Introduction
David Bailey was a Vogue magazine photographer with his most iconic images taken in the 1960’s and 1970’s. In Bailey’s Stardust, he exhibited some of the images that defined is career, but also his experiences captured as photographs. It is as though high profile personalities and seemingly ordinary people are made from stardust (National Portrait Gallery, 2014). To the 1960’s contemporary photographers and artists, the era was inspiring given the changing realities of news of life across England. Photography is a personal experience and the artist, photographer seeks to communicate a message, and for Bailey the art of photography was an opportunity for self-expression extending. This extended beyond photojournalism while also being inspired by ordinary people despite working closely artists, models and pop icons.
Background of David Bailey
Bailey’s stardust exhibition focuses on the exhibition of David Bailey focusing on photographs of ordinary people in East London and faraway places to Catherine Bailey, artists, musicians well as fashion icons and beauty (National Portrait Gallery, 2014). The exhibition is curated by Bailey, and the photographs span various areas of fashion portraits, photography and reporting. This exhibition is different since it is rare for photographers to self- curate. Even though, the story was presented at the National Portrait Gallery in London, Bailey also curated the art in other areas of the UK including Scotland. Subsequent exhibitions also focused on the same portraits chronicling Bailey’s depiction of fashion icons, exotic travels and other artists.
Reception in the press Initially there was skepticism about the curation given that Bailey was given the freedom to show his enormous exhibition, with Bailey left to chose all the exhibition’s themes. However, the exhibition was well received given that Bailey demonstrated that he had a vision for the exhibition. Bailey’s Stardust not only captures ordinary people, but also depictions of previous photographed celebrities, artists and musicians. The choice of Catherine Bailey’s photographs was more surprising given that it takes a more personal look into Bailey and his wife. The intense focus on these photographs represents a side of Bailey’s that is unknown to the outside world.
Installation of the work
Bailey’s depictions follow his earlier works and he has been known for the people in the photographic portraits. The photography spans more than 50 years, representing largely unaltered pictures of flattering glamorous people. At other times, Bailey forays into other themes that are more intense that raise his credibility, and he achieves this by looking out for faces outside the Western world into the unknown. Bailey still manages to main his signature of black and white portraiture since part of the work was done decades ago. The self-portraits depict the changing themes over the years, and the arrangement of the exhibition shows the design is chosen to show the specific themes. Given that the number of photographs is nearly 300, and the exhibition ...