Given the very unique circumstances of a pandemic happening for the past six months, visiting a gallery was practically impossible. But what these special times have created was a great use of digital technologies to their best: virtual tours of museums and galleries.
Not all the museums and galleries managed to turn-around so quickly and made a virtual space, but some of them did it an outstanding job!
One of these, a small photography gallery is available to visit here: https://v21artspace.com/bond-by-terry-oneill:’Celebrating the life and work of Terry O’Neill – The Definitive Collection’ (Iconic Images Gallery, 13a Park Walk, Chelsea, SW10 0AJ, www.iconicimagesgallery.net).
The gallery displays photographs taken by Terry O’Neill, covering celebrities from screen, art, fashion, politics, sports and film.
At the ground floor, there is a collection of photos about the ‘BOND’ movie, from actors, lifestyle, backstage and not only, mainly monochrome. The whole group of BOND photos is gathered in a book in a digital format, that can be accessed and downloaded here: https://issuu.com/iconicimagesnet/docs/iconic_bond.exhibition.issuu.Other unique photos are displayed at the lower level as well.
About the artist: Terry O’Neill
Terry O’Neill CBE was one of the world’s most collected photographers with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars he photographed the frontline of fame for over six decades.
O’Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s. While other photographers concentrated on earthquakes, wars and politics, O’Neill realized that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the most prominent magazines and newspapers in the world.
No other photographer has embraced the span of fame, capturing the icons of our age from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, as well as every James Bond from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.
He photographed The Beatles and The Rolling Stones when they were still struggling young bands in 1963, pioneered backstage reportage photography with David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry, and his images have adorned historic rock albums, movie posters and international magazine covers.
Terry O’Neill passed away in November 2019. (Source: https://iconicimages.net/photographers/terry-oneill/).
About The Collection
The photos are some of them, grouped in a collection called ‘Bond’, but there are other pictures displayed in the same area. They are all framed, on a white background and dark edge, and it accentuates more the photography subject, which is mainly monochrome/ black and white.
The photos are displayed either at eye- level, of the floor level; they have different sizes, the bigger they are, the more significant impact they have. Some of the pictures are presenting real-life size of the subjects. There is an extensive range of books with photos, displayed additionally in the gallery, with O’Neill’s work through 6 decades of work.
My Favourite Photographs
Some of the photographs that draw my attention were this one:
HB069
Honor Blackman in-training for the 1964 James Bond ‘Goldfinger’
Original press print from Terry O’Neill’s archive
Signed in pencil on the reverse, press captions and stamps on reverse
Paper Size: 8″ x 11″
It captures the dynamicity of the movements and the real facial expressions following the daring training exercise. It looks funny to see their reaction, and at the same time, the lady trainer is enjoying their response to this exercise.
Another unique photography, I believe, is this one:
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On the set of the James Bond spoof ‘Casino Royale’, 1967
Lifetime Edition Gelatin Silver Print
Paper Size: 20″ x24″
It is incredible how the artist managed to capture all the details of an action scene, focusing on the actor but at the same time, capturing the whole scene, including the lights and crew.
Last but not least, this photo captures the whole essence of the Jambe Bond movies: beautiful women, champaign and money.
UA063
On the set of the James Bond spoof
‘Casino Royale’, 1967
Lifetime Edition Gelatin Silver Print
Paper Size: 40″ x60″
Price: GBP 20,000 + VAT
Other exciting elements in the gallery are some chairs, with photos made by O’Neill, as print.
Most of the pictures were made in the ’60s- ’70. In 1950, black-and-white snapshots were still the norm. By 1960, the colour was much more common but still tended to be reserved for travel photos and special occasions. Polaroid introduced instant colour film in 1963.
What cameras were used in the 70s?
Photography/ Camera Ads of the 1970s
- Kodak Pocket Instamatic Camera (1972)
- Canon Ftb 35mm Slr Camera (1976)
- Canon F-1camera Photographer Frank Laffitte (1977)
- Beseler 23cii Photo Enlarger Photography (1978)
- Leitz Leica R3 35mm Slr Film Camera (1977)
- Nikon El2 35mm Slr Camera and Auto Winder (1978)
- Minolta 110 Zoom Slr Camera (1977)
Going further and exploring the rest of the gallery, at the lower level, there are other randomly displayed photos, made by additional various famous photographs.
Some of the few colour photos displayed are these 2: a massive print of India Jones and the Rolling Stones (by O’Neill).
Overall, the whole experience has been unique, I went over the pictures over and over, and I have read about the characters. The images are now iconic, being recognized all over the world! Terry O’Neill is very inspiring, and he was an avant-gardist in capturing the essence of the glamorous life of celebrities!
Terry O’Neill: ‘Every Picture Tells A Story’
