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David Bailey is a British photographer, born in 1938 and worked on the past 60 years for fashion magazines and rock stars. He influenced the British photography and he is our photographer of the month.

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He started his professional career in 1959 as photographic assistant at the John French studio, and in May 1960, he was a photographer for John Cole’s Studio Five before being contracted as a fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine later that year. He also undertook a large amount of freelance work.

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First Vogue cover by David Bailey – 1960

He was one of the artists leaders of the 1960’s Swinging London movement. According to Wikipedia, Swinging London is a term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s. It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the British economy after post-World War II austerity which lasted through much of the 1950s.

The “Swinging London” scene was aptly reflected in his Box of Pin-Ups (1964): a box of poster-prints of 1960s celebrities. See here some of my preferred:

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MICK JAGGER, Box of Pin Up’s – 1964

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John Lennon, Box of Pin Up’s – 1965

In parallel of his fashion work, David Bailey was responsible for Music album sleeve art for : The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull or Cat Stevens.

In the 90’s he directed some documentaries and TV programs for the BBC and of course continue his work as photographer.

In 2011 Jerome de Missolz released a documentary called “David Bailey: Four Beats to the Bar and No Cheating”. Check a small teasing here:

On his personal life he was married 4 times, and one of his wives was famous french actress Catherine Deneuve (divorced in 1972).

Brit’Rocks!

LA

info sourced in wikipedia and David Bailey officials website and Facebook. All images are copyrighted, no reproduction allowed without further notice.