Cecil Beaton was a self-creation. Through the art of photography he rose to become one of the great photographers and observers of the 20th century. He also designed costumes and sets for stage, screen, opera and ballet; was a wicked diarist and gossip; became an arbiter of taste and moved easily between many varied worlds. As such he captured the passing moment and portrayed the great figures of the age in photographic and pen portraits. In this lecture, Hugo Vickers, his biographer and literary executor, explains how Cecil turned himself into this extraordinary figure.
The exhibition Cecil Beaton's Fashionable World is on at the Gallery from 9 October 2025 to 11 January 2026.
Please note, there will be a book signing of Cecil Beaton: The Authorised Biography and Malice in Wonderland with Hugo Vickers immediately after the talk in the Main Gallery shop.
£15 (£12 Members / concessions)
