Self Portrait

McBEAN, Angus

This witty, surreal image is the earliest of the many self-portraits created to send as Christmas cards by Angus McBean almost annually for over 50 years. McBean was born in Newbridge, Gwent. He worked as a theatrical mask maker and set designer before turning to photography. McBean’s glamorous and inventive approach to portraiture soon made him popular with his numerous celebrity sitters. In 1942, McBean was arrested for homosexuality, then a criminal offence, and sentenced to hard labour. After his release in 1944, he eventually resumed his career with great success. His portraits of Audrey Hepburn and The Beatles, among others, are now iconic images.

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Details

Collection

Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

Item Number

NMW A 28784

Creation/Production

McBEAN, Angus

McBean began his career in the theatre as mask-maker and scenery designer before turning to full-time theatre photography. McBean is renowned for his theatrical and inventive photography of the 1930s and 1940s. Imitated throughout his career, his influence especially in advertising is still prominent today. In 1935 he opened his own studio; and his prominent style was soon being published in glossy magazines. The Surrealist Exhibition in 1936 was an influence on McBean's theatrical portraits. After the Second World War he opened a larger studio in Covent Garden, and in the 1940s and 1950s was inundated with commissions from theatre companies. In the 1960s McBean photographed the Beatles for their first album.

Role: Photographer

Period: 1936