At the time The Beatles started catching worldwide attention back in 1963 and 1964, Paul McCartney was trying to memorialize those moments through his camera. Now, those photographs will go on an exhibition titled Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes Of The Storm.
As Universal Music’s official site notes, more than 250 of McCartney’s photographs, recently rediscovered in his archives, reveal his singular vantage point at the center of this whirlwind of attention and adoration—illuminating both the historical, and the personal, moments McCartney and his bandmates experienced together.
The photographs were first exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, and the exhibition will then move to New York, debuting at the Brooklyn Museum, opening on May 3, 2024, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. It is scheduled to run to August 18.
The site adds that “in an immersive installation of photography, video clips, and archival material, ‘Eyes of the Storm’ traces the period when The Beatles played concert halls in Liverpool and London and began to tour internationally, first to Paris and then to the United States.”
As The Beatles captured the hearts of millions, founding member Paul McCartney captured it all on his Pentax camera. Traveling from the UK to New York—just as “the boys” did six decades ago—Eyes of the Storm takes us inside the frenzy of Beatlemania in 1963–64, when the band’s first U.S. tour skyrocketed them to superstardom. More than 250 of McCartney’s photos, recently rediscovered in his archives, reveal his singular vantage point at the center of this whirlwind of attention and adoration. Many of the prints buzz with the electricity of 1960s New York City, which has had a love affair with The Beatles ever since.
Displayed alongside video clips and archival material, the photographs not only showcase McCartney’s artistic versatility but also serve as a personal and historical record. They convey the intensity of The Beatles’ touring schedule, as the Fab Four were swept from concerts to hotels to the road with rabid fans and paparazzi at their heels. The images also evoke an affectionate family album, picturing McCartney and bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr at a time when their lives were changing irrevocably. See through the “eyes of the storm,” as McCartney describes his unique perspective on this extraordinary period, and relive a musical legend’s meteoric rise.
