MARY McCARTNEY

I discovered Mary McCartney with this picture of Tracy Emin as Frida Gallo. I thought the picture was fantastic and that the Tracy vs Frida comparison was interesting and amusing. Then on McCartney's website, I discovered her series off pointe, picturing ballerinas off stage. You see them eat chips, smoke and bathe their difformed feet in sinks. Again interesting and beautiful. This series is not pictured up here, but you can see it all on McCartney's website under the section EXHIBITIONS / OFF POINTE.


"MARY McCARTNEY (b.1969, London) started her career as a photographer in 1995. Since then Mary’s work has spanned the worlds of portrait and fashion photography. Her style lies in finding a moment that gives us a new insight on the subject.

Mary’s assignments have led to her work appearing in editorial titles such as Harpers Bazaar and Interview Magazine as well as high impact advertising campaigns for clients such as Gossard, Stella McCartney, Adidas, Aga, Bucherer and Mandarin Oriental. “Mary is the new creative spirit behind Mandarin Oriental’s He’s/She’s a Fan campaign, taking over from the late Patrick Lichfield”.

In May 2000 Mary took the first official photographs of Tony and Cherie Blair with their newborn son, Leo. Mary has a number of pictures in the National Portrait Gallery Collection, along with a commission entitled ‘Gay Icons’, to be hung in the NPG from Spring 2009.

Mary’s first solo exhibition was in October 2004 entitled ‘Off Pointe - A Photographic Study of The Royal Ballet After Hours' in which she was invited into the private world of the elite Corps De Ballet. This series of black & white photographs reveals an intimate unseen aspect of the world of ballet capturing the prestige and the chaos of life behind the scenes and the contrast between the sometimes gruelling, painful lifestyle of the dancers and their fairy tale performances.

Mary’s time working in fashion photography led to her first American solo exhibition at the Goss Michael Foundation in Dallas, 2007. This body of work entitled “Playing Dress Up” shows a collection of photographs that chronicle a unique view, both on the catwalk and backstage, of the rarified world of high fashion.

Mary has built up an extensive catalogue of portrait work, some of which was included in her exhibition “British Style Observed” which was exhibited at The Natural History Museum in September 2008 as part of Thirty Days of Fashion.

Currently working on a book with Thames and Hudson due for release in September 2010."


☁ MARY McCARTNEY