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Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things - (Hardcover)

Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things - (Hardcover) - 1 of 1
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Highlights

  • The stylish and extravagant world of the "Bright Young Things" of 1920s and '30s London, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton In 1920s and '30s Britain, Cecil Beaton used his camera and his larger-than-life personality to mingle with that flamboyant and rebellious group of artists, writers, socialites and partygoers who became known as the "Bright Young Things.
  • 280 Pages
  • Photography, Individual Photographers

Description



Book Synopsis



The stylish and extravagant world of the "Bright Young Things" of 1920s and '30s London, seen through the eye of renowned British photographer Cecil Beaton

In 1920s and '30s Britain, Cecil Beaton used his camera and his larger-than-life personality to mingle with that flamboyant and rebellious group of artists, writers, socialites and partygoers who became known as the "Bright Young Things." Famously fictionalized by the likes of Evelyn Waugh (in Vile Bodies), Anthony Powell and Henry Green, these men and women cut a dramatic swathe through the epoch and embodied its roaring spirit.

In a series of themed chapters, covering Beaton's first self-portraits and earliest sitters to his time at Cambridge and as principle society photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair, over 50 leading figures who sat for Beaton are profiled and the dazzling parties, pageants and balls of the period are brought to life. Among this glittering cast are Beaton's socialite sisters Baba and Nancy Beaton, Stephen Tennant, Siegfried Sassoon, Evelyn Waugh and Daphne du Maurier. Beaton's photographs are complemented by a wide range of letters, drawings, book jackets and ephemera, and contextualised by artworks created by those in his circle, including Christopher Wood, Rex Whistler and Henry Lamb.

Cecil Beaton (1904-80) is one of the most celebrated British portrait photographers of the 20th century and is renowned for his images of elegance, glamour and style. Beaton quickly developed a reputation for his striking and fantastic photographs, which culminated in his portraits of Queen Elizabeth in 1939. Also well known as a diarist, Beaton became a society fixture in his own right. His influence on portrait photography was profound and lives on today in the work of many contemporary photographers.



Review Quotes




Filled with the theatrical extravagance and beauty that one would expect from Beaton's photographs.--Ariella Cohen "Musee"

A dazzling group of young and unconventional aristocrats dubbed the Bright Young Things swirled at the centre of society in 1920s London. Legendary aesthete Cecil Beaton was both an esteemed member of the group and its unofficial photographer. This volume masterfully brings together his portraits and snapshots of that heady epoch.--Nolan Bryant "Globe and Mail"

A nattily designed volume...--Bookforum Editors "Bookforum"

Classic drinks that epitomize the era get a contemporary twist in [this] delightful new book.--Lucy Rees "Galerie"

I'm devastated not to be able to experience Britain's National Portrait Gallery exhibition Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things firsthand, but I am taking consolation in Robin Muir's handsome catalog (art directed with suitable elegance by Thomas Persson).--Hamish Bowles "Vogue"

Otherworldly, untouchable in his beauty, and eerily, eternally modern.--Emma Garman "Paris Review"

A web of names spins around every image, every interaction--Virginia Woolf, the actress Anna May Wong, the economist John Maynard Keynes, the author Daphne du Maurier. Everyone seemed to know everyone....We see, through Beaton, his subjects' relentless search for distraction and, simultaneously, for meaning. We see their quest for a semblance of place, a home, but also, in contradiction, for freedom--for an escape from the humdrum, for that heady, if sometimes startling, sensation of not being trapped.--Lou Stoppard "Aperture"

From Bright Young Thing and documenter of London's lost generation of the 20s to a documenter of a new generation who would lose their lives in the Second World War, this is just one slice of Cecil Beaton's remarkable life through photography--Mark Simpson "AnOther Man"

Returning to Beaton's enchanted world is a tonic in a fear-ridden age, the catalogue, written by the exhibition's curator, Robin Muir, a delight.--David Platzer "New Criterion"

explores the aesthetic 1920s set and the photographer who chronicled them.--Brian T. Allen "National Review"

A century ago, a bohemian set of aristos and artists oozed glamour and wreaked havoc all through the streets of London.--Hannah Betts "Daily Mail"

A magnificently atmospheric display of pure magic--Lucie Davies "Telegraph"

An era's fun and flamboyance preserved in aspic.--Rachel Campbell-Johnston "The Times"

As they posed, partied and donned extravagant costumes, Beaton captured the antics of Britain's young aristocrats between the wars.--Sean O'Hagan "Guardian"

Beaton changed fashion photography forever.--Robin Muir "Vogue: UK"

Cecil Beaton and His Bright Young Things Are More Pertinent Than Ever--Jack Moss "AnOther"

Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things Are Tinged With Darkness--Will Noble "Londonist"

Decades after Cecil Beaton captured their heyday on camera, his most colourful characters are taking us for a spin again--Hugo Vickers "Telegraph"

Glittering portrait of a gilded generation.--Melanie McDonagh "Evening Standard"

Power, privilege and glamour in 1920s London: Inside the glittering world of the Bright Young Things--Eve Watling "Independent"

The 'Bright Young Things, ' as a flamboyant group of artists, writers and socialites came to be known, are shown here in all their decadence, boundless creativity and utter fashionability.--Ken Scrudato "Blackbook"
Dimensions (Overall): 11.3 Inches (H) x 9.9 Inches (W) x 1.2 Inches (D)
Weight: 3.95 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 280
Genre: Photography
Sub-Genre: Individual Photographers
Publisher: National Portrait Gallery
Theme: Monographs
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Street Date: May 12, 2020
TCIN: 1001843148
UPC: 9781855147720
Item Number (DPCI): 247-07-7117
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1.2 inches length x 9.9 inches width x 11.3 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 3.95 pounds
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