San Francisco Art Exchange to Mount the First-Ever Exhibition of Boyd's
Powerful Photographic Work
Opening February 14, the Show Will Feature 60+ Pieces, Including Portraits of
Rock Icons
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Although Pattie Boyd has remained a
distinctly private person over the years, large portions of her life are truly
the stuff of legend. Rock 'n roll's ultimate muse, 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. She spoke but one word in the acclaimed film, but
her influence on rock history spoke volumes -- Harrison wrote "Something" for
her, a sublime ballad that's regarded as one of contemporary music's greatest
love songs. Then, in the final stages of Boyd's 10-year union with Harrison,
Eric Clapton fell for her, and wrote the anguished classic of unrequited love,
"Layla," #27 on Rolling Stone Magazine's '500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.' On
a happier note, after they married in 1979 (they divorced a decade later),
Clapton penned the lovely "Wonderful Tonight" for Pattie.
Throughout her remarkable life, Boyd has documented the world around her
photographically. She began shooting in London during the heady days of the
mid-'60s, when she was an icon of the city's swingin' scene, writing the
column "Pattie's Letter From London" for 16 Magazine, among other pursuits.
For the last two decades, Boyd has practiced photography professionally, and
the San Francisco Art Exchange's (SFAE) 2005 solo exhibition of her work marks
her worldwide gallery debut. Opening Valentine's Day, February 14, SFAE will
display over 60 original pieces spanning the last four decades. The exhibition
was curated in association with Raj Prem Fine Art Photography, with whom SFAE
has had a longstanding association.
SFAE co-founder Theron Kabrich commented, "We're thrilled to have the
privilege of introducing Pattie Boyd's distinctive photography in her debut
exhibition. She has a special vision, and a unique perspective, and I believe
it will resonate with collectors and fans of photography everywhere."
Many of the pieces reflect Boyd's historic vantage point from the
epicenter of rock 'n roll culture, offering revealing images -- ranging from
candid to more formal -- of Harrison and Clapton, as well as Marianne
Faithfull, B.B. King, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood, among others.
Several portraits shown will be ones related to a previous collaboration that
Boyd had with Wood. Andrew Lloyd Webber had commissioned the Rolling Stone,
who's a respected painter, to create a triptych bearing the likenesses of
50 celebrities, and Wood asked Pattie to photograph each of the notables for
him to work from in creating the massive mural. The experience deepened
Pattie's portfolio and built her reputation as a portraitist.
In addition to inspiring immortal love songs, Boyd's impact on rock music
has another fascinating twist. It was her quest for spiritual enlightenment
-- which, like photography, has remained a constant thread in her life -- that
spurred the Beatles' pilgrimage to India to study with the Maharishi. Photos
from that famed trip to Rishikesh, along with subsequent journeys to India,
sacred sites around the world, and other international destinations are also
spotlighted in Boyd's SFAE exhibition.
Currently, Pattie Boyd resides in the countryside near London. She
remains friends with Clapton and other rock icons, and co-founded the charity
SHARP (Self Help Addiction Recovery Programme) with Ringo Starr's wife Barbara
Bach, but she avoids the limelight. Pattie has rarely traveled to the States,
and hasn't been to San Francisco for almost two decades. Most famously, she
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
bedecked in hippie regalia, a legion of flower children behind them. When
Pattie returns to San Francisco for the world premiere of her work at SFAE on
Valentine's Day, February 14, America can celebrate the season of love with
Pattie Boyd.
Co-founded in 1983 by Theron Kabrich and James Hartley, SFAE is a world
leader in international fine art sales and publishing, with total sales in
excess of $30 million. They're known globally as premiere purveyors of world
class pop culture imagery of every kind. SFAE has long represented the art of
Alberto Vargas and Ronnie Wood, as well as famed album cover artist Roger
Dean, fantasy-genre master Boris Vallejo, and over 30 noted rock/celebrity
photographers including Ethan Russell, Terry O'Neill, Mick Rock, Jerrold
Schatzberg, Joel Brodsky and many others. Their gallery is located at
458 Geary Street in downtown San Francisco. Recent exhibition highlights
include Summer 2004's landmark "The Art Of The Album Cover," featuring a rare
collection of original paintings and photographs that have appeared on over
100 iconic album jackets.
For more information, log on to http://www.sfae.com
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