Fragile Beauty. Photographs from the Collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish
About the event
Celebrating over 30 years of collecting, the exhibition pays homage to the passion of Sir Elton John and David Furnish for photography, reflecting both their personal taste and their unique perspective as collectors. Selected from their collection of over 7000 images, the photographs on display are iconic images that explore the connection between the strength and vulnerability inherent in the human condition.
Telling the story of modern and contemporary photography, the exhibition will bring together an exceptional selection of the world's most important photographers, with works dating from 1950 to the present. Adapted from the exhibition presented at the Victoria and Albert Museum between May 2024 and January 2025, the journey will explore, through five thematic sections, subjects such as desire, fashion, celebrities, identity affirmation, and photojournalism. Among the artists featured are Robert Mapplethorpe, Harley Weir, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Ai Weiwei, Herbert List, and many others, as well as a monumental installation of 149 prints by Nan Goldin from her series Thanksgiving.
Warning: the content of some of the photographs presented in this exhibition may be offensive to the sensibilities of the public, particularly the young.
“Just as when writing a song, there is, when taking a photograph, a bit of luck and chance – something happens at the right moment and you have to have the intelligence to press the shutter.”
Sir Elton John,
