Opening Tonight, the Show Presents Work Including Images of Rock Icons Eric
Clapton, George Harrison, Jeff Beck and Others; Artist's Receptions are
Planned for Feb. 17 & 18
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- This Valentine's Day, the San
Francisco Art Exchange, LLC (SFAE) will unveil "Shared Memories: Photographs
By Pattie Boyd," a new exhibition of photographic images by the celebrated
woman who inspired George Harrison to write "Something," and Eric Clapton to
pen "Layla" -- as well as the later, happier ballad "Wonderful Tonight." In
addition to being rock 'n roll's most legendary muse, Pattie Boyd, who resides
in London, is an acclaimed fine art photographer whose work had its U.S. debut
in early 2005 at SFAE. Boyd will be on hand for artist's receptions at the
gallery on February 17 and 18; in addition to west coast press, Pattie will
also do New York City-based media during her Stateside visit.
Pattie Boyd's infatuation with photography began in London in the swingin'
'60s, when she was a top model and mod fashion icon in the city's era-defining
music, art and cultural scene. She began shooting to document the heady
happenings of the day -- now the stuff of pop culture legend -- at the same
time that she was chronicling it in words with her popular "Pattie's Letter
From London" for 16 Magazine. Boyd has practiced photography professionally
for the past two decades, and SFAE's 2006 solo exhibition of her work marks
only the second time that she has exhibited in the United States. Following
her 2005 show, SFAE sold upwards of $150,000 worth of Boyd's photographs,
which are black & white and color, and range in price from $1,400 to $3,000
per print.
"Shared Memories: Photographs By Pattie Boyd" was curated in association
with Raj Prem Fine Art Photography, with whom SFAE has had a longstanding
association. The show will present over 70 original pieces, many of which
reflect Boyd's storied vantage point from the epicenter of rock 'n roll,
offering revealing images -- from candid to posed -- of former husbands George
Harrison and Eric Clapton, as well as Marianne Faithfull, B.B. King, Mick
Fleetwood, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood among others. Several other
portraits are related to a collaboration Boyd had with Ronnie Wood when Andrew
Lloyd Webber commissioned the Rolling Stone, a renowned painter, to create a
triptych portraying 50 celebrities. Wood asked Pattie to photograph each
person so he could use the shots as studies for the massive mural, and Pattie
credits the experience with deepening her range as a portraitist.
For a woman who has chosen to lead a distinctly private life for many
years, Pattie Boyd has seen many of her defining personal experiences play out
in a public forum. Boyd wed Beatle George Harrison in 1966 after meeting him
in '64 when a modeling gig led to a bit part in A Hard Day's Night (this year
marks the 40th anniversary of their nuptials). She spoke but one word in the
film, but her influence on rock history speaks volumes -- Harrison wrote
"Something" for her, a ballad regarded as one of music's greatest love songs.
In the final stages of Boyd's 11-year union with Harrison, Eric Clapton fell
for her and wrote the anguished classic of unrequited love, "Layla." On a
happier note, after they married in 1979, Clapton penned the lovely "Wonderful
Tonight" for Pattie. While they divorced a decade later, they remain friends,
and Clapton's forthcoming autobiography is sure to offer further insight into
their relationship.
Boyd's impact on rock music has another fascinating twist. It was her
quest for spiritual enlightenment -- which, like photography, has remained a
constant in her life -- that spurred the Beatles' pilgrimage to India to study
with the Maharishi. Photos from that famed trip to Rishikesh -- including
previously unseen images of Lennon and McCartney together -- as well as shots
from subsequent journeys to India, sacred sites around the world and other
international destinations are also spotlighted in Boyd's new SFAE exhibition.
Currently, Pattie Boyd resides in the countryside near London, where she
co-founded the non-profit organization SHARP (Self Help Addiction Recovery
Programme) with Ringo Starr's wife Barbara Bach. Recently, she also signed on
with the U.K. fashion house Viyella to model for their upcoming lines. Before
her 2005 exhibition at SFAE, Pattie hadn't been to San Francisco for almost
two decades. Previous to that, she famously charmed the city in 1967 -- the
Summer Of Love -- when she and George, the only Beatle to visit S.F. that
legendary summer, strolled down Haight Street robed in hippie regalia, myriad
flower children in their wake. With "Shared Memories: Photographs By Pattie
Boyd," her latest show at SFAE, Pattie once again visits the City by the Bay
during a season of love.
Co-founded in 1983 by Theron Kabrich and James Hartley, San Francisco Art
Exchange, LLC is a leader in international fine art sales and publishing, with
a global reputation as premiere purveyors of world-class pop culture imagery
including paintings, illustrations, photography and more. In addition to
Pattie Boyd, SFAE has long represented the art of Alberto Vargas, album cover
artist Roger Dean, fantasy-genre master Boris Vallejo and many noted
rock/celebrity photographers including Ethan Russell, Terry O'Neill, Mick
Rock, Jerrold Schatzberg, Joel Brodsky and many others. They are located at
458 Geary Street in San Francisco.
For more information, log on to http://www.sfae.com
SOURCE San Francisco Art Exchange, LLC
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Related links:
http://www.sfae.com
CONTACT:
Michael Jensen, +1-626-585-9575, or Susan
Stewart, +1-530-823-5962, stewgren@foothill.net, both for San
Francisco Art Exchange, LLC
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