Photographs by John Swannell, 1970-97
16 Portraits in set
After leaving school at sixteen, John Swannell first worked at Vogue Studios, assisting photographers such as Cecil Beaton. He worked for David Bailey from 1969–73, on projects including Bailey’s book, Goodbye Baby and Amen (1969), before establishing his own studio. John Swannell’s work was first exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in the group exhibition Twenty for Today: New Portrait Photography (1985) and a solo exhibition of his work, Twenty Years On, was staged at the Gallery in 1997. The Gallery first began to acquire Swannell’s work in 1983, and now holds over 100 of his portraits. Swannell’s subjects include Tony Blair, Susan Boyle, Sir Roy Strong, Iman, Phil Lynott and George Michael. The artist is also known for his official portraits of the royal family.
