An archive featuring over 250 images of The Beatles, taken between November 1963 and February 1964 by Sir Paul McCartney, has been unearthed and will be displayed in an exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery from June 28 to October 1, 2023. The exhibition, titled “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes Of The Storm,” will be held to mark the gallery’s reopening, following a three-year major renovation. The photographs provide an intimate look at The Beatles during the period of Beatlemania, capturing moments of relaxation, concentration, and joy. The pictures start with black and white portraits taken backstage in Liverpool and culminate in the band’s performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York, which transformed them into global popstars.
Sir Paul had approached the National Portrait Gallery about an exhibition after stumbling across the images, which he thought were lost. The portraits of John Lennon, George Harrison, Sir Ringo Starr, and manager Brian Epstein depict a critical moment in the evolution of The Beatles, when they were emerging as global pop sensations. Sir Paul, who took the pictures on his Pentax camera, said, “Looking at these photos now, decades after they were taken, I find there’s a sort of innocence about them. Everything was new to us at this point. But I like to think I wouldn’t take them any differently today. They now bring back so many stories, a flood of special memories, which is one of the many reasons I love them all and know that they will always fire my imagination.”
The Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, said, “Over more than half a century, we have become familiar with press photographs showing the smiling Beatles and their screaming fans, but Paul McCartney’s intimate photographs have more in common with a family album, capturing people caught in off-guard moments of relaxation and laughter.” An accompanying book of photographs and reflections will be published on June 13, 2023.
The display of these photographs is a unique opportunity to see the iconic band in a personal, intimate way, and learn about the historic moments that led to their rise to stardom. The exhibition also represents a milestone for the National Portrait Gallery, which has undergone extensive refurbishments, with the exhibition being one of the first displays after its reopening.