From Busy Bees to an Imaginary Sewing Machine. Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection at the V&A
Richard Avedon, “Ronald Fischer”, Beekeeper, 1981. Photo: Birgitta Huse.
“Celebrated works by Richard Avedon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei, Carrie Mae Weems and others are included.”
“The exhibition undoubtedly presents a rare possibility to see many extraordinary photographic works created from the 1950s to the present day.”
“The prints tell a story which starts with a sewing machine and ends with a chalked wall.”
From Busy Bees to an Imaginary Sewing Machine
Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection at the V&A
★★★★★
WRITTEN BY DR BIRGITTA HUSE, 17.05.2024
“This is dangerous” is probably the first thought that comes to many people’s minds when they find themselves confronted with the iconic photograph by Richard Avedon. Questions that follow are likely if the portrayed suffered bee stings, how the shoot was conducted, and why did the sitter model in the first place? Bees are associated with laboriousness and sweet honey but also with danger. Bees seem to be incalculable, at least to people who are no bee specialists. The gelatin silver print Ronald Fischer, Beekeeper, Davis, California, 9 May 1981 functions as a kind of barrier at the exhibition entrance. It prompts visitors to stop and to have a closer look. It raises curiosity about what is waiting behind…
Over 300 rare prints from 140 photographers are exhibited in Fragile Beauty. Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection. at the Victoria and Albert Museum. They trigger a wide range of emotions – from joy to sadness, from excitement to boredom, from seriousness to fun, from security to fear, and more. A sense for the fragility of creation and life is reawakened.
Fragility is a theme that pervades the exhibition. Famous protagonists are made visible in emotionally special, if not exceptional, moments of their lives. Bert Stern (1929 – 2013) captured Marilyn Monroe lost in thoughts with his photo titled Marilyn Monroe, The Last Sitting® in 1962 only two months prior to her death. René Burri (1933 – 2014) portrayed Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara in 1963 in Havana, Cuba, during an interview for Look magazine. It is explained that Guevara ignored the photographer throughout and that the “photograph suggests the pressure Guevara was under as he sought to revive the Cuban economy in the face of an encompassing US embargo”.
René Burri, “Che Guevara”, Havana, Cuba, 1963. Photo: Birgitta Huse
Death and mourning are no taboo within Elton John’s and David Furnish’s collection. Happy moments, often people enjoying each other’s company, are also represented in the V&A exhibition. This is especially the case in the section introduced with the title “Desire”: “As a celebration of the collection’s numerous homoerotic pictures, once viewed as provocative or even scandalous, they elevate to the public realm what previously remained hidden”. Though perhaps no longer perceived as provocative by most, the works of this section may have posed a challenge to the V&A in terms of addressing their policy to make exhibitions accessible for people of diverse backgrounds, including children.
The works exhibited cover important themes of the 20th and 21st century. Celebrated works by Richard Avedon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei, Carrie Mae Weems and others are included. The evolution of fashion photography is traced through the collection in significant ways, one of the key interests of John, and forming part of his first collected works in 1991. Further sections of the exhibition are “Celebrities”, “The American Scene” and “Reportage”. The collectors have a passion for photojournalism. The Civil rights era of the 1960s, the AIDS activism of the late 1980s and the terrorist attacks of September 11 are documented. The sections “Desire” and “Fragile Beauty” impress with intimate views into people’s lives. It is here that we find the red Poppy by Robert Mapplethorpe from 1988 which was chosen as the front cover of the exhibition catalogue. In the area called “Constructed Images” the photograph by David LaChapelle that shows Elton John with two fried eggs instead of his eyes encapsulates the humour of the sitter and collector John.
David LaChapelle, “Elton John Egg on his Face”, New York, 1999. Photo: Birgitta Huse
In the same section, “Constructed Images”, two large scale works stood out to me. The first one is Brick Face, 2008, by Robin Rhode (born 1976). The work in which Rhode combines photography, performance and illustration shows “a figure pushing real patterned fabric through an imaginary sewing machine to create a chalked wall on the streets of Johannesburg” – an exhibition text reads, describing what is happening throughout the 20 prints. Together, the prints tell a story which starts with a sewing machine and ends with a chalked wall. “For Robin Rhode it is, ‘a political decision to create artworks in public spaces’, a poignant act of resistance to highlight urban poverty in a city cleaved by histories of racial tension.”– the explanation of the work continues to inform.
Robin Rhode (detail), “Brick Face”, 2008. Photo: Birgitta Huse.
The second large-scale collection piece which caught my attention is Priceless #1, 2004, a chromogenic print by Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976). Willis uses a photography of his grieving family at the funeral of his cousin who was murdered in an armed robbery as a means to prompt us “to question society’s obsession with consumerism, even at a time of mourning”.
Finally, the exhibition room “Collecting now” demonstrates that John and Furnish “continue to acquire photography, adding regularly to their holdings.” This is remarkable, given the fact that the collectors own an astonishing amount of around 7000 works already. It is said that both collectors live with their photos, meaning that the photographs are part of their daily lives and serve as a continuous source of inspiration.
The exhibition undoubtedly presents a rare possibility to see many extraordinary photographic works created from the 1950s to the present day. Historic moments and a part of the history of photography are accessible via the exhibited pieces, which count over 300. At the same time, visitors gain an insight into what John and Furnish are interested in. Last but not least, the profile of the collection has the potential to inspire photography aficionados and collectors alike. Fragile Beauty offers a journey into some of the very essentials of life and thus gives plenty of possibilities to pause and reflect on what one considers to be important in life. The range on offer covers everything from “being busy as a bee” to taking the time to admire beauty in many senses while being aware of its fragility and end.
Fragile Beauty. Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection is on show at the Victoria & Albert museum from 18.05.2024 to 05.01.2025.