Terence Spencer : A Lasting Impression

About

This unique exhibition features the many faces, fashions and sounds of the Swinging Sixties with prints showcasing iconic stars in their prime alongside the beauty of ordinary life and every- day style.

Born during a Zeppelin raid in 1918, Spencer was a dynamic and hardworking storyteller who went on to carve two celebrated careers. Prior to his success as a photographer,
Spencer served in the R.A.F. flying Spitfires. Daring, adventurous and bold, he was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Croix de Guerre and continued to live vivaciously following ceasefire. In the aftermath of the war, Spencer embarked on his photographic career with the American photojournalism Magazine, LIFE, documenting world events and crises in areas of conflict across the globe. Speaking to a journalist in his later years, Spencer remarked that he was never nervous about being injured, humorously adding: “The only time I was ever hurt was when I was attacked by Paul McCartney after I discovered his hideaway in Scotland."

Proud Galleries will exhibit a charming collection of the late Terence Spencer’s prints, swapping scenes of violence for social enlightenment and cultural idols in booming Britain. Persuaded by his daughter Cara and her admiration of The Beatles, Spencer went on to tour with the band for 6 months. During this time he photographed their movements behind scenes, helping Ringo with his own photography and collating an enviable archive of over 5000 negatives.

Throughout the 1960s and beyond, Spencer used his experience as a photojournalist to document the fashions, youth culture, ground-breaking music and elated dreams of the generation, capturing the faces of real people, models, actors, designers, writers, and sportsmen alike. Spencer’s gregarious flair and ability to put his subjects at ease yielded photographs with an intrinsic light-heartedness. The star-studded collection is complete with natural shots of Muhammad Ali and Marianne Faithfull alongside photographs of entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson captured in the bath with a model aeroplane.

Proud Camden will celebrate a deeply humanising, honest collection of Terence Spencer’s extensive archive which embodies the liberalised popular culture of the ‘60s and offers a nostalgic snapshot of a dynamic period of social change and musical revolution.
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