26 September – 19 October 2013
Beetles and Huxley Gallery 3-5 Swallow Street London W1B 4DE
Opening Times: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5.30pm
Admission: Free
For Further Information: 020 7434 4319/ Gallery gallery@beetlesandhuxley.com
We are very pleased and excited to announce that Beetles and Huxley Gallery (formerly known as Chris Beetles Fine Photographs) today opened the “National Geographic: Then and Now” exhibition. Displaying for the very first time, unseen vintage photographs from the National Geographic magazine archives will be exhibited in London, alongside masterworks from its contemporary contributors.
The exhibition will contain over 100 vintage and modern prints and will examine the history and the importance of photography in National Geographic magazine, celebrating the power and impact of the finest photojournalism.
National Geographic magazine has been an influential and highly successful publication since it was launched in 1888. Each month the power of its images and the quality of its informative, accessible writing has transported readers to fascinating and exotic places, bringing cutting-edge exploration, travel and science into people’s homes.
The exhibition will show how National Geographic has used the power of photography to take the reader on this visual journey. Whether it be to a Tahitian island, or to an obscure community in American Midwest, the magazine has been singularly successful at capturing the spirit of adventure and scientific enquiry –building one of the world’s most remarkable archives of photographic prints in the process. The gallery is also delighted to announce their official representation of this archive of original vintage prints.
National Geographic has been at the forefront of photojournalism since January 1890 when the first photograph was published in the magazine. The show will fall into two categories – early photographic pioneers, and contemporary masters. Of the former, its ranks of staff photographers included names such as Maynard Owen Williams, J. Baylor Roberts, Clifton Adams and B Anthony Stewart, many of whom have remained relatively unknown despite their photographs being appreciated by millions of readers. Our exhibition will celebrate their work and tell their fascinating individual stories.
Juxtaposed with these small, delicate vintage prints will also be a noteworthy selection of contemporary National Geographic photography. This will include works by David Doubilet, Beverly Joubert and Brian Skerry, who have taken some of the most memorable wildlife photographs in recent years, as well as pictures by many other current contributors to National Geographic. We hope to show that although the techniques and equipment have advanced significantly, the essence of the publication has remained very much the same.
The exhibition pays homage to one of the most remarkable successes in publishing history, and underlines its significant contribution to the history of photography.
Information Courtesy: Beetles and Huxley Gallery
