Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War (Imperial War Museum, London: Exhibition Catalogues) - Hardcover

Beaton, Cecil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224096303 ISBN 13: 9780224096300

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2013

Synopsis

The definitive collection of Cecil Beaton's war photography, drawing on a wealth of material and accompanied by his own diary entries At the beginning of World War II Cecil Beaton was commissioned by the British government to photograph the home front. He set to work recording both the destruction of the city, and the heroism of Londoners under attack. He conducted a survey of Bomber and Fighter Commands for the RAF, which was published with his own astute commentary. Beaton was an effective propagandist, but his voice, like his photographs, was touchingly elegant. Beaton's wartime work amounted to 7,000 photographs. He traveled through the Western Desert and on to Iraq, Palestine, Transjordan, Syria, and India, where he photographed the final days of the Raj in New Delhi and Calcutta before joining the Burma campaign. He ended the war deep in Chinese territory where he witnessed the Nationalist resistance to the Japanese. This collection of Beaton's masterful WWII photography captures the home front, the Middle East, arms and vehicle manufacturing in Britain, India, the Burma Campaign, and the war in China. It also includes a chronology placing events in Beaton's life alongside developments in photography, journalism, and the arts; war photography; and world events. His original photographs are reproduced large on the page, alongside his diary extracts, allowing for deep scrutiny and appreciation of the images and their artist.

About this title

About the Author:

Cecil Beaton was a diarist, painter, and interior designer, but is most recognized as a fashion and portrait photographer for Life magazine, Vanity Fair, and Vogue. He won several theater and film awards, including two Academy Awards for stage and costume design.

Review:

"One of the most beautiful books of the year." -- Richard Dorment * Telegraph * "Showcases Beaton's grittier side as he captured countries and cultures affected by the Second World War." * Esquire * "This plush Coffee table book contains the old rogue's finest work...an eye-catching record of Britain at war." * Shortlist * "Touching and often harrowing." * Huffington Post * "Beaton had a supreme understanding of life as theatre, and set out to document the conflict with the same dramatic intensity he had used to capture society girls in the late 1920s and 1930s." * World of Interiors *

About this edition

• Publisher: Jonathan Cape
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0224096303
• ISBN 13: 9780224096300
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228