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The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

Sir Elton John’s Modernist Photography Collection at Tate Modern, London | 8 November 2016

Por Cristina Schek

A glimpse into an extraordinary collection of iconic images beautifully displayed and framed.

“A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see one of the world’s greatest private collections of photography, drawn from the classic Modernist period of the 1920s–50s. An incredible group of Man Ray portraits are exhibited together for the first time, having been brought together by Sir Elton John over the past twenty-five years, including portraits of Matisse, Picasso, and Breton.

With over 70 artists and nearly 150 rare vintage prints on show from seminal figures including Brassai, Imogen Cunningham, André Kertész, Dorothea Lange, Tina Modotti, and Aleksandr Rodchenko, this is a chance to take a peek inside Elton John’s home and delight in seeing such masterpieces of photography.” Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

Irving Penn’s portrait of Elton John.

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

“Sir Elton John began collecting photographs in 1991 and his collection is now regarded as one of the leading private photography collections in the world, distinguished by its exceptional quality and remarkable range and depth. From major vintage 20th century modernist works to cutting-edge contemporary images, the collection now holds over 7,000 fine art photographs. To make this exhibition possible Tate has worked in collaboration with Newell Harbin, Director of the Sir Elton John Photography Collection” Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

ASTOUNDING PRINTS QUALITY, RARE GEMS YOU MAY NEVER SEE AGAIN.

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Edward Steichen: Gloria Swanson, 1924

portraits / bodies

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The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

Corner Portraits by IRVING PENN

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Spencer Tracey by Irving Penn, 1948

Gypsy Rose Lee, Irving Penn, 1948

Noël Coward by Irving Penn, 1948

Duke Ellington by Irving Penn, 1948

Joe Louis by Irving Penn, 1948

‘Manspreading aggresively’ … Irving Penn’s portrait of Salvador Dalí.

Salvador Dalí by Irving Penn, 1947

LOVED THE AUDIO GUIDE HAVING BOTH CURATOR SHOAIR MAVLIAN’S AND ELTON JOHN’S PERSPECTIVES.

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The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

objects, perspectives, abstractions

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The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

experiments, portraits, documents

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The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

don't miss the audio guide to find out the motivations behind elton john's collecting and listen to some exquisite intro musical pieces.

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The Radical Eye | Tate Modern

'The Radical Eye' is at Switch House, Tate Modern, London, till 21 May 2017.

The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection at Tate Modern will run from 10 November 2016 until 21 May 2017. It is curated by Shoair Mavlian with senior curator Simon Baker and Newell Harbin, Director of the Sir Elton John Photography Collection, assisted by Emma Lewis. It will be accompanied by a major new catalogue from Tate Publishing, featuring an interview with Sir Elton John by Jane Jackson and an essay by Dawn Ades, Professor Emerita at the University of Essex. Find out more

★★★★★

‘A ravishing photography collection… I’ll have to go back’

The Guardian

★★★★★

‘Beautiful, ground-breaking work’

The Upcoming

★★★★★

‘A love letter... to pre-digital photography’

The Telegraph

★★★★★

‘The best collection of modernist photography in the world’

Culture Whisper

★★★★★

‘A must-see show’

The Times

★★★★

‘This really is a staggering collection’

Time Out

See more EXHIBITION albums & if you need help documenting an exhibition, installation or any other art event, please get in touch with via: cristina@cristinaschek.com

Footnotes

Special thanks to Estelle Lovatt FRSA.

FootNotes

Special thanks to Estelle Lovatt FRSA.

© 2026 Cristina Schek

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