By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt
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| Daisy Bendix in Costume for The Galaxy Ball 1929. |
If Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) is not a familiar name to you, you’re not alone: many of the people who come to this new exhibition at MOPA (the Museum of Photographic Arts at San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park ) have never heard of this multi-talented British-born artist before. But I’ve never heard so many enthusiastic comments in a museum…especially from viewers too young to be fans when he was alive and well-known world-wide.
The image above gives spectacular sheen to one of London’s “bright young things” at an annual charity gala known for featuring young socialites in fabulous costumes, like this one designed by Cecil Beaton with Oliver Messel, a famous designer of theatrical sets and costumes who was born in the same year as Beaton and died two years sooner.
The young woman admiring the image is another newcomer to Beaton—Claudia Herrera, an SDMA Museum Attendant who is now a confirmed devotee.
“I
love the esthetic beauty of his shots and the way his compositions use
interesting backgrounds to express the relationship with his subjects in
playful, romantic, and elegant ways,” she said.
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| Cecil Beaton Self Portrait 1927. |
We’ve included some of our personal favorites here, among them this multiple exposure; when you go, you’re sure to find lots of your own. And you certainly should go, since you have, happily, plenty of time: the show runs through January 10, 2027.
The exhibit, organized by The National Portrait Gallery in London, features over 100 pieces of fashion and portrait photography by this creative genius who started out costuming and photographing family members when he was just a kid and went on to Vogue Magazine, several Academy Awards for costume and film design, and knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.
“I’m not so well-versed in photography,” said a young painter, whose name is Mary Painter, and was brought to the show by her friend, Jamie Lynn Garcia, a photographer. “But seeing all this work, I became a Beaton fan! I always thought the fashions in the movie “My Fair Lady” were wonderful and now I know who did them!”
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| Marion Davies |
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| Battle of Flowers 1935. Dress by Mainbocher. A watercolor, with pastel and crayon. |
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| Charles Henri Ford in Surrealist Costume 1937 |
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| Salvador and Gala Dali. |
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| Shadow Her 1935. Fashion Model Louise Sheldon in a dress by Maggy Rouff. The men’s shadows make the photo extraordinary! |
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| Princess Elizabeth 1942. She knighted him in 1972, when she was Queen Elizabeth II. |
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| Princess Margaret in Dior Ball Gown: Her 21st Birthday (from an original 1951 transparency) |
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| My Fair Lady Costume |
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| Rex Harrison & Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady on Broadway. 1956. My Fair Lady film won Beaton Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. 1965. |
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| The men who fly planes |
This exhibition is organized by The National Portrait Gallery, London, in collaboration with The San Diego Museum of Art. A full-color catalogue published by The National Portrait Gallery, London, complements the exhibition and is available in the MOPA@SDMA Gift Store.
Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World
Museum of Photographic Arts at San Diego Museum of Art
On view until Jan 10, 2027
1649 El Prado, Casa de Balboa, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, 92101
Hours: Open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tickets: Members receive complimentary admission; Museum general admission tickets are required for nonmembers.
Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in San Di5.ego County for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net
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