Photographer David Bailey began working for Vogue in 1960 and it was there that his lens helped shape and capture what has become known as “Swinging London.” Actors, musicians, supermodels, and royalty were his subjects and social pals. His iconic images of Mick Jagger, Michael Caine, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, Jane Birkin, Jean Shrimpton, Andy Warhol, and Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski defined the decade.
Bailey was such a popular figure of the time that film director Michelangelo Antonioni based the character of Thomas, a sexy fashion photographer in the 1966 movie Blow-Up, on him. Dubbed the “Godfather of cool,” when he was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his contribution to photography in 2001, Bailey is now being honored with an exhibition of his celebrated ‘60s photos in the exhibition Pure Sixties. Pure Bailey, which runs through April 7, at Bonhams in London.