Crowds flock to Beaton exhibition

Media Release 9 June 2006

Crowds flock to Beaton exhibition

More than 5000 people have visited the Cecil Beaton: Portraits exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery in its first two weeks.

The exhibition, exclusive in New Zealand at the Christchurch Art Gallery, opened on 27 May, being launched in true Beaton-style with a spectacular black tie event.

Cecil Beaton: Portraits brings together more than 100 portraits from the five remarkable decades of Beaton’s career, including images never seen before. These capture 50 years of fashion, art and the celebrity world of last century.

This major retrospective – the first opportunity to see Beaton’s work in New Zealand – is shaping up to be a record-breaker for the new Gallery, said acting gallery director Hubert Klaassens.

“With more than 5000 visitors in less then two weeks, Cecil Beaton: Portraits is proving to have a very broad audience appeal.”

He said Beaton created iconic images that speak across the generations, and the stories accompanying each image are just as revealing and awe-inspiring as the images themselves.

“These photos have contributed so much to capturing an important time in 20th Century history, as well as shaping the public’s perception about those who Beaton captured on film.”

Cecil Beaton: Portraits runs at the Christchurch Art Gallery till 10 September.

ENDS

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