Sir Elton John has said that even though he collects photographs, he “hates” ones of himself.
The singer was speaking exclusively to BBC News ahead of the launch of a V&A exhibition of photographs from his and his husband David Furnish’s collection.
More than 300 prints from more than 140 photographers are on show in Fragile Beauty.
But Sir Elton said: “I would never put myself up on the wall [at home], no thank you.”
The exhibition spans from the 1950s to the present day and includes portraits of jazz musicians Miles Davis and Chet Baker, and actress Marilyn Monroe.
But what’s notably absent is any images of Sir Elton himself while performing.
“It’s extraordinary that I collect photographs because I don’t like being photographed,” the 77-year-old singer said. “I find it really painful.”
Sir Elton said that he also doesn’t like taking photographs, despite his passion for the art form.
“The paradox of someone who appreciates and has a sophisticated eye for photographs yet cannot stand to be photographed is not lost on me,” Furnish said with a laugh.
“I think what keeps Elton sane is the fact he’s able to compartmentalise what he does on stage as a performer versus who he is in his everyday life.”
The exhibition follows their 2016 show from Sir Elton and Furnish’s collection at the Tate Modern, which covered the period from 1920 to 1950.
It features historic moments from the civil rights movement to Aids activism, and includes works by Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Ai Weiwei and others. The majority of the photographs are being displayed to the public for the first time.
Sir Elton said he was “absolutely blown away” to see the items on the walls.
“We’ve collected these photographs over many years, and some of them I’d forgotten we had, because you buy photographs and they go straight into storage,” he said.
“And a lot of them I haven’t seen hung properly or hung at all. And so walking through, it’s been hung so beautifully and the different sections and wall colours. I couldn’t be happier. I’m just astonished by what we’ve collected and so proud of what we’ve collected because we both love photography so much.”
Sir Elton said that there was also “a lot of pain and grief” on the walls, including images from the events of 11 September 2001.
“This is the first time I’ve ever shown our 9/11 photographs,” he said. “Every time we get them out we think, is it going to be OK to show them, is it too raw?”
Of the 2,000 images of 9/11 they own, they are exhibiting just four. Sir Elton insisted it was important to collect images of that pain.
“The image of the man falling vertically from the World Trade Centre is one of the most beautiful images I’ve ever seen and yet it’s one of the most tragic,” he said.
“And sometimes in tragic images, whether it’s paintings or photographs, there’s a lot of beauty. And that’s why the show’s called Fragile Beauty, because there’s beauty in everything.”
Source: graphiconline
