David Bailey in Conversation with Tim Marlow

Vision and Sound
On the occasion of his exhibition, Vision and Sound, the acclaimed artist and photographer David Bailey joins Tim Marlow OBE, Chief Executive and Director of London's Design Museum, in a dialogue that delves into the themes of his current solo show in London. Their conversation addresses Bailey's approach to art and photography, portraiture, and his encounters with legendary musicians captured in the iconic works on display. Offering insights and reflections on Bailey's illustrious practice, the talk illuminates how Bailey's work has pushed the boundaries of photography and portraiture for over six decades.
 
 
David Bailey CBE is one of the most acclaimed photographers of our modern age. With an artistic practice over six decades, his work crosses genres - from fashion to portraiture, nudes, to still lifes, documentary, landscape, and reportage - and expands into painting and sculpture. Bailey's photography discards the formal structures of the medium by introducing fresh energy and a new way of looking that has come to define a cultural shift for a new generation. He has photographed everyone, from Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela to the first nation people of Australia and Indian Sadhus to fashion, music, film, and art icons. With a minimalist and direct style, he reveals the beauty and spirit of all of his subjects. In his words: 'It's not the camera that takes the picture; it's the person.' Uncompromising crops and striking, seemingly spontaneous poses are his signatures. His black-and-white and colour portraits have broken down barriers of class and race with their radical sense of energy and individualism, equalising everyone who appears before his lens.
 
Tim Marlow OBE is a British writer, broadcaster and art historian who is the Director and Chief Executive of the Design Museum, London. Prior to this role, he was the Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He has lectured on art and culture in over 40 countries.
 
The exhibition is a celebration of David Bailey's portraits of legendary musicians over the past six decades. With photographs that trace movements of jazz, the rumbling ascension of rock and roll, punk, Britpop, hip-hop, and more, the exhibition explores Bailey's influential role in cultivating the image of music mediated through his lens. Among the greatest photographers of the 20th century, David Bailey has played an influential role in cultivating the image of fashion, art, and music.The exhibition comprises many iconic portraits, with key highlights including portraits of Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, Dr Dre, and Oasis, among many others. Visit the Online Viewing Room.
 
Bailey: Vision and Sound is located at 45 Park Lane, London, W1K 1PN, and is open daily from 23 September 2022 - 28 January 2023. The exhibition is created by David Bailey and Dellasposa Gallery in association with 45 Park Lane, London.