The V&A South Kensington presents a major exhibition of modern and contemporary photography, on loan from the private collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. Showcasing over 300 rare prints from over 140 photographers – the majority of which will be on display to the public for the first time – Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection is the V&A’s largest temporary exhibition of photography to date.
Following on from the 2016 exhibition The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection at the Tate Modern, this exhibition covers the period from the 1950s to the present day. It brings together an unrivalled selection of the world’s leading photographers to tell the story of modern and contemporary photography, and will include works by Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei, Carrie Mae Weems and others.
Marking 30 years of collecting, the exhibition celebrates John and Furnish’s passion for the medium and reflects their personal taste and unique eye as collectors. Across eight thematic sections, it explores subjects such as fashion, reportage, celebrity, the male body, and American photography. Portraits of stars from stage and screen will feature, including photography of Marilyn Monroe, Miles Davis, and Chet Baker, as well as iconic images from key moments of history from the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, AIDS activism of the 1980s and the events of 11 September 2001. Also on display are the very first acquisitions made by John, fashion photographs by Horst P. Horst, Irving Penn and Herb Ritts, as well as some of the newest additions to their collection including Tyler Mitchell, Trevor Paglen and An-My Lê.
Fragile Beauty : Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection
Until January 5th, 2025
V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road
London, SW7 2RL
https://www.vam.ac.uk/
In partnership with Gucci
