BE ORIGINAL OR DIE PHOTOGRAPHS BY MADAME YEVONDE

This exhibition featured 64 photographs by the celebrated Thirties society photographer. The works in the exhibition were produced from the original glass plate negatives and Vivex prints and included some of her hitherto unseen work. Born in 1893, Yevonde set up her first studio in London in 1914. She was one of the first photographers to make a successful use of colour technology in Britain and her work, particularly some of her magazine and publicity shots, could be seen to have been influenced by her childhood visits to the theatre and costume parties, in their use of lighting, colour and models’ poses. Her society portraiture included theatrical and literary names as well as eminent figures from the aristocracy. In 1935 Madame Yevonde invited a number of leading society ladies to be involved in a project on the theme of Goddesses, 15 of which were included in this exhibition. Her baroque approach to the treatment of her subjects combined with her interest in the issue of female identity and gender roles created a new contemporary audience of her work.

The exhibition was accompanied by a substantial illustrated catalogue with a biography by Brett Rogers, technical notes on Vivex photography by Adam Lowe and notes on selected works by Sean Williams. ISBN 0 86355 378 8 ; a card pack with 15 images and a leaflet containing the essays by Roger and Lowe was subsequently published in 2001. A fold-out card pack with six illustrations was Spsnish text was published by the British Council, Argentina. An illustrated leaflet (Portuguese) only was published bye Mseu da Imagen e do Som and the British Council, Sao Paulo. No ISBN