Cecil Beaton exhibition in Liverpool

50 portraits at the Walker Gallery until the end of August

An exhibition featuring 50 of portrait photographer Cecil Beaton’s works will be at Liverpool’s Walker Gallery until the end of August. Some of the world’s most iconic celebrities have been captured in the images, including Audrey Hepburn, Winston Churchill and Lucian Freud. Beaton, whose long career stretched from the roaring 20s right up until the 1980s was known for his charismatic personality which is reflected in many of his portraits. Beaton became a photographer for Vogue in 1927 and worked with the fashion magazine for the rest of his life. During the 1930s he published books and had the opportunity to photograph some of the most prominent members of the Royal Family such as the then Queen Elizabeth, who later became the Queen Mother. A stint working for the Ministry of Information as an official war photographer saw his work take on a grittier edge during the war and post-war years, but he was soon back to capturing celebrities by the 50s, whereupon he became a household name creating portraits of the likes of Marilyn Monroe and became a designer for Oscar winning films such as My Fair Lady.