The Wick List

Viewing Portraits by iconic British photographers David Bailey and Mary McCartney at Claridge’s ArtSpace

This month in London is all about photography – May is the time to see the best work happening in the medium now. Where better to start than with two British photographers from the city, who have each helped to shape the image of Britain for their generation?

David Bailey, 86, is one of the most important photographers living today – born and raised in East London, Bailey struggled at school due to dyslexia and dyspraxia, but later found a creative outlet in the camera, and began working as an assistant to David Collins, then John French – by 1959 British Vogue had contracted him as a fashion photographer, and the rest is history; Bailey went on to shoot royalty, the rich and famous. He even inspired the lead character, Thomas in Antonioni’s film Blowup.

Bailey shook up the formal portrait genre with his informal, playful approach – and this exhibition selects some of shots that have made his work so significant, presented for the first time e alongside another photographer who has equally carved out a unique approach to portraiture: Mary McCartney. A friend of Bailey, McCartney, 54, is known for her diaristic, wistful and poetic pictures; brought together with Bailey the two form an intimate conversation, with plenty of high fashion and fun.

Share story
Dates
14 May 2024 — 19 July 2024
READ MORE
The Wick Culture - David Bowie, Debbie Doss, Hammersmith 1973. Courtesy of Lightroom
The Wick List

Viewing David Bowie: You're Not Alone

The Wick Culture - © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026. Photo © White Cube (Theo Christelis)
The Wick List

Viewing Katharina Grosse: I Set Out, I Walked Fast

The Wick Culture - Courtesy of Annie Shead and FreddieFoulkes Gallery
The Wick List

Viewing 9,983 Rows: Annie Shead

The Wick Culture - Onomatopoeia, 2026. © Liza Lou. Courtesy Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, London · Paris · Salzburg · Milan · Seoul. Photo: Joshua White
The Wick List

Viewing Liza Lou: FAQ

The Wick Culture - Courtesy of V&A Dundee
The Wick List

Viewing Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show

The Wick Culture - David Hockney, Abstraction Resting on a Red and White Checkered Tablecloth, 2025. Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm) © David Hockney. Photo: Prudence Cuming
The Wick List

Viewing A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting