The National Portrait Gallery in London reopens its doors with a journey to the origins of ‘Beatlemania’

It was in 2020 when McCartney found out about it. thousands of negatives and never-published contact sheets describing the Beatles’ first steps on the road to international success. Some photos taken with pentax camera That McCartney forgot where he came from and that he told the band members mix of shock and excitement after confirming the worldwide phenomenon they created. “Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us and it created an image I will never forget,” McCartney explains in the book.

international success

the project begins November 1963, The Beatles filming for the BBC in the UK. Photos of those weeks, drawn in black and whiteShow the Beatles’ more intimate and casual side “behind the scenes”, as well as the long waits surrounded by team members and their families. With what catches are they McCartney experiments with the camera and it also documents the anger they create wherever they go. “As the exhibition progresses, you can see how Paul evolves and gains more confidence in photography,” the curator explains. Rosie Broadley.

the tour continues Paris, where the group spent nearly three weeks, where McCartney documented everyday scenes in the city and moments of relaxation at the hotel. photos police officers, photographers, and the fans themselves They allow us to see the social turmoil they have caused outside of the UK from the heroes’ point of view. Something they confirmed even more strongly when they arrived in New York a few weeks later. ‘I want to hold your hand’ It reached number one on the US charts.

After a while on the TV show ‘Ed Sullivan Show’setting them up with an audience on the other side of the pond 73 million viewerstype ends in miamiWhere McCartney decided to wear colored reel It shows the band members and their closest circles in a holiday climate, away from the hustle and bustle of the sets, the recording studios, and the cruelty of fans at car transfers. “It’s like we’re living in a black and white world during the turn and suddenly Wonderland Florida, sun and swimming pools,” the musician assures. In this part of the tour, the Beatles have the opportunity to sunbathe, go boating and water skiing in the section that ends the photo selection.

travel to the past

The organizers of the exhibition state that McCartney has not seen most of the printed photographs so far and this is a huge event. memory exercise. “He’s been very generous with telling us the stories behind the photos and identifying people, because it’s not just about the Beatles, it’s about a fascinating cast of characters. anonymous people”, Broadley explained at the presentation of the exhibition. “That’s one of the good parts of this compilation.”

McCartney himself recorded good memories has been going on ever since. “When I look back, I think of everything we did as a few kids from Liverpool. And you can see it here in the photos. Man, how good John looks, how handsome George is and how cool Ringo is in that funny French hat!”, says the musician. Some memorabilia, according to the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Nicholas Cullinan, it’s closer to photos of a family album than photos of the band ever seen. “We all know What did ‘Beatlemania’ look like? but what did it look like from four pairs of eyes who experienced it firsthand?” It is now possible to discover it.