There’s still time to get an up-close glimpse of Beatlemania at its height, from the truly unique perspective of a Beatle, at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
“Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm,” a collection of more than 200 images taken during the Beatles’ early days of stardom in their native England and on tour in Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami, is on view through July 6, and it’s a gas.
(Paul McCartney under exclusive license to MPL Archive LLP)
And why is it not surprising to see that one of the world’s greatest songwriters is talented at taking pictures as well as making music?
“In ‘Eyes of the Storm,’ recently unearthed photographs by Paul McCartney provide a rare time capsule of The Beatles’ world at the moment of their extraordinary rise to fame,” said Thomas P. Campbell, CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
“In this exhibition, we glimpse McCartney both behind and in front of the lens, as he bears witness to a pivotal cultural moment through the camera with a keen artistic eye,” said organizing curator Sally Martin Katz.
Some of the images in the show—which was organized by the National Portrait Gallery in London, after McCartney and his archivist rediscovered them during the pandemic—are what visitors might expect: shots of fans lined up behind barricades on the side of the road, eagerly anticipating the Fab Four’s motorcade, or, in the middle of the street, running after it; or gasping with abandon, shock and delight upon seeing their heroes.
There also are excellent portraits. Along with experimental self-portraits, McCartney captures the faces and moods of bandmates John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and documents life on the road with family and supporters. He shoots Lennon and his wife Cynthia, Harrison’s parents Harold and Louise, Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein and road manager Neil Aspinall.
McCartney also took pictures of performers who shared the bill or played with the Beatles, from singers Cilla Black, Jackie DeShannon and Ronnie Spector to Dora Bryan, a Liverpool actress who had a comedy hit with “All I Want for Christmas is a Beatle.” Also represented: McCartney’s girlfriend Jane Asher, and French singer Sylvie Vartan.
The Paris section includes a glass case that has a sheet of paper with doodles envisioning a logo for the French album release “Les Beatles” (the actual cover also is in the show) and a photo of a marquee showing the Beatles appearing on a bill with Trini Lopez.
McCartney also got close ups of regular folks on the job (a gleeful group of airline workers, a cop standing guard) and pictures a tourist might take, of the Chrysler Building and the White House.
McCartney himself appears in some shots in a display about “The Ed Sullivan Show” appearance; he must have lent his Pentax camera to someone who captured the guys in rehearsal for the historic broadcast, seen by 73 million people. But Harrison, who was ill, wasn’t there. Apparently, someone donned a mop-top wig to fill out the Fab Four for the photos. The Sullivan display also includes fun video.
A change in mood comes with color pictures of the guys and their pals and colleagues (George Martin and his wife Judy) on a well-deserved break in Florida. They’re romping around in beach togs, enjoying poolside living. A mesmerizing video montage of the same photos, with music by McCartney, accompanies the stills.
Photos in the exhibition are blown up from images on previously unprinted negatives and contact sheets, on which McCartney indicated his favorites with a red mark. Interestingly, the marks are preserved.
One of the most amusing images also is enlarged to fill a wall. It pictures excited folks gathered outdoors at the Miami airport to greet the Beatles’ plane. The crowd includes several beauty pageant contestants in swimsuits with sashes, some cops grinning ear-to-ear, and a woman in a leopard-print top holding a chimpanzee.
“Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm” continues through July 6, 2025 at the de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. Admission is $15 for youth (ages 6-17); $26 students; $32 seniors; $35 adult. Visit famsf.org.
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