Tyler Mitchell

15 Sep-3 Oct 2025

Overview

Gagosian is pleased to announce a presentation of photographs by Tyler Mitchell at its gallery in London’s historic Burlington Arcade. This marks the first public display of works from “Portrait of the Modern Dandy,” a visual essay developed for the catalogue of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the spring 2025 Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. On view from September 15 through October 3, 2025, the installation at Burlington Arcade coincides with the launch of Mitchell’s first monograph with Aperture, Wish This Was Real, and features a curated selection of publications that inform and expand his practice.

Examining the historical and cultural significance of Black style from the eighteenth century through to contemporary expressions, Superfine focuses on the concept of dandyism through the lens of the African diaspora. The exhibited garments and Mitchell’s photographs together articulate how self-fashioning becomes a form of agency, distinction, and resistance.

Introducing this body of work, Mitchell notes:

In this visual essay, my aim was not only to depict visions of profound camaraderie, beauty, and joy—though that alone would have been a worthy pursuit—but to explore how Black individuals have appropriated and transformed classical European fashion into something uniquely our own. Featuring models in garments from Superfine: Tailoring Black Style alongside fabulously self-styled men in vintage or the wearer’s own attire, this project is a love letter to modern Black dandyism.

These portraits engage in a dialogue with traditions of historical studio and portrait photography, emphasizing the symbolic power of dress. Mitchell’s images reflect his ongoing interest in constructing scenes of elegance, kinship, and Black visual sovereignty.

On Saturday, September 20, from 3 to 6pm, Gagosian will host a book signing with the artist for both Wish This Was Real and the Superfine catalogue.