[Cecil Beaton]
In all his artistic endeavours Beaton was self-taught, never having received any formal training in either art or photography. Despite his accomplishments and successes, he felt the need to tackle the higher art form of oil painting and prove himself as a serious artist. With this in mind he enrolled in 1953 as a mature student at the Slade School of Fine Art. His studies were halted by the interruptions of other projects but he continued to practise oil painting during the ensuing years, converting a studio for the purpose at Reddish. In 1966 he took the plunge and exhibited a collection of his paintings at the Lefevre Gallery in London. The catalogue for the exhibition lists 28 paintings, mainly portraits, each with a short enigmatic title such as “Singer” [Mick Jagger], “Actor” [Alec Guinness], “Art Critic” [John Russell], and “Queen” [Queen Victoria]. Seven of the paintings are reproduced. Beaton’s fame brought publicity to the show but not necessarily artistic success.
[Cecil Beaton]. The Lefevre Gallery. London. 27th January - 26th February 1966. Paperback, quarto; stapled wrappers. 8 pages. 7 b&w illustrations reproducing Beaton's paintings. English. 245 x 185mm. 0.2kg. . Good; some spotting to covers and pages, slight soiling to white wrappers, slight crease to top forecorner.
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