Tony Shiels with his family (Tony Shiels; Christine Price; Ewan Shiels; Gareth Shiels)

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© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Tony Shiels with his family (Tony Shiels; Christine Price; Ewan Shiels; Gareth Shiels)

by Ida Kar
vintage contact print from 2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1961
Purchased, 1999
Photographs Collection
NPG x134750

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  • Ida Kar (1908-1974), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 1567 portraits, Sitter in 137 portraits.

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Current affairs

Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners is published internationally, inspiring the founding of the human rights organisation, Amnesty International.
The philosopher and peace activist Bertrand Russell is imprisoned for inciting civil disobedience during a sit down demonstration at the Ministry of Defence and Hyde Park.
The farthing coin - used in Britain for the last 7 centuries - ceases to be legal tender.

Art and science

Rudolf Nureyev defects from the USSR fearing that the KGB would arrest him for being gay and for fraternising with foreigners. After seeking asylum in Paris he set up home in London at the Royal Ballet and began his famous partnership with Margot Fonteyn.
The satirical magazine, Private Eye is first published.

International

The East German government erects the Berlin Wall, ceasing free movement between East and West Berlin. The barrier prevented citizens of Soviet controlled East Germany from crossing the border into West Germany to work, or to defect.
Yuri Gagarin, the soviet cosmonaut, becomes the first man in space orbiting the earth on the 12th April.

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Russell J Hall

16 June 2019, 13:51

Tony Shiels married Christine Price in 1958 and moved to St Ives shortly after. By the time this photograph was taken he and his family were living in a cottage opposite the St Ives Arts Club. He'd exhibited the previous year at Michael Dean's Steps Gallery on Fore Street, where Tony had a studio.

Earlier in 1961 Barbara Hepworth had resigned from the committee of the influential Penwith Society of Arts and Tony Shiels, as 22, was elected in her place. Although Tony had arrived in St Ives as a proponent of modernist abstractionism his interest in surrealism, which would infuse and empower his career as artist, magician, poet, playwright, Punch and Judy professor and monster hunter.

Kate shiels

19 September 2017, 19:30

Ewan Shiels is in the pram, Gareth Shiels is walking. Ewan Shiels went on to become a musician.