ART, DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY February 12, 2024

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm

May 3–August 18, 2024

As The Beatles captured the hearts of millions, founding member Paul McCartney captured it all on his Pentax camera. Traveling from the UK to New York—just as “the boys” did six decades ago—Eyes of the Storm takes us inside the frenzy of Beatlemania in 1963–64, when the band’s first U.S. tour skyrocketed them to superstardom. More than 250 of McCartney’s photos, recently rediscovered in his archives, reveal his singular vantage point at the center of this whirlwind of attention and adoration. Many of the prints buzz with the electricity of 1960s New York City, which has had a love affair with The Beatles ever since.
Displayed alongside video clips and archival material, the photographs not only showcase McCartney’s artistic versatility but also serve as a personal and historical record. They convey the intensity of The Beatles’ touring schedule, as the Fab Four were swept from concerts to hotels to the road with rabid fans and paparazzi at their heels. The images also evoke an affectionate family album, picturing McCartney and bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr at a time when their lives were changing irrevocably. See through the “eyes of the storm,” as McCartney describes his unique perspective on this extraordinary period, and relive a musical legend’s meteoric rise.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm has been organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, England, in collaboration with Paul McCartney. It is curated by Sir Paul McCartney with Sarah Brown for MPL Communications and Rosie Broadley for the National Portrait Gallery. The presentation at the Brooklyn Museum is organized by Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Decorative Arts, and Jennie Tang, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director of Art and the Director of Curatorial Affairs. 

“MCCARTNEY’S HITHERTO UNSEEN PHOTOS . . . RECORD A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN POPULAR CULTURE” — THE GUARDIAN “WE’VE NEVER SEEN BEATLEMANIA FROM THE INSIDE — UNTIL NOW” — ROLLING STONE

 

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