Announcing “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm” – Opening September 14

The Portland Art Museum Announces

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64:
Eyes of the Storm

September 14, 2024 – January 19, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 4, 2024
Portland, Ore.—Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm is an unprecedented exhibition, revealing extraordinary photographs taken by the beloved musical icon. Organized by the National Portrait Gallery in London, the exhibition will open at the Portland Art Museum on September 14, 2024, and run through January 19, 2025.
Comprised of recently rediscovered photographs from Paul McCartney’s personal archive, more than 250 pictures invite visitors to intimately experience The Beatles’ meteoric rise from British sensation to international stardom. At a time when so many camera lenses were turned toward them, McCartney’s perspective from the inside out brings fresh insight into the band, their experiences, the fans, and the Beatlemania phenomenon. Through these photographs, along with video clips and archival material, visitors can witness the dawn of the “British Invasion” that fundamentally transformed rock and roll music and American society.

Captured by McCartney during a pivotal three-month period for The Beatles in late 1963 and early 1964, the photographs evoke an affectionate family album, picturing his fellow band members, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, at a time when their lives were changing irrevocably. The exhibition gives visitors a highly personal glimpse into an extraordinary time with one of music’s enduring legends.
The exhibition also captures McCartney’s interest in the visual arts, with his photos reflecting the aesthetics and popular culture of the period. The range of work, from portraiture and landscape photos to documentary images, reveals McCartney’s familiarity with the formal styles of early 1960s photography. References to New Wave, documentary filmmaking, and photojournalism can be found across the exhibition.

“Looking at these photos now, decades after they were taken, I find there’s a sort of innocence about them,” said Paul McCartney. “Everything was new to us at this point. But I like to think I wouldn’t take them any differently today. They now bring back so many stories, a flood of special memories, which is one of the many reasons I love them all, and know that they will always fire my imagination.”
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm is curated by Paul McCartney with Sarah Brown on behalf of MPL Communications Limited and Rosie Broadley for the National Portrait Gallery, London, and organized for the Portland Art Museum by Julia Dolan, Ph.D., the Minor White Senior Curator of Photography.

Images: Paul McCartney, Self-portrait. London, 1963. © 1963 – 1964 Paul McCartney; Paul McCartney, John and George. Paris, 1964. © 1964 Paul McCartney; Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr. London. © 1963 – 1964 Paul McCartney; Paul McCartney, Photographers in Central Park. New York, 1964. © 1964 Paul McCartney.

PRESS RESOURCES

PRESS CONTACT: Ian Gillingham, [email protected], 503-276-4342
PAM WEBSITE: Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64
PRESS DROPBOX FOR IMAGES: Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64

About the Portland Art Museum and
PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow

Founded in 1892, the Portland Art Museum (PAM) in Portland, Oregon, is one of the earliest art museums in the United States and the oldest in the Pacific Northwest. PAM is internationally recognized for its special exhibitions and encyclopedic collection, with areas of focus including Native American art, Northwest art, Asian art, graphic arts, and photography. Notable within these areas are the Museum’s holdings of Native Northwest Coast art, Japanese prints, and more than 25,000 prints, drawings, posters, and books spanning 500 years.
PAM’s campus is a cornerstone of the downtown Portland cultural district. Currently, it is undergoing a transformation led by the creation of the new Mark Rothko Pavilion—an expansion and renovation project to connect the Museum’s two buildings and create a more accessible experience for visitors. The Pavilion is named in honor of renowned abstract artist Mark Rothko (1903–1970), who spent his childhood in Portland after his family immigrated from Latvia. The project is among the most significant in the city, and a key part of revitalizing a downtown core that has been slow to recover after the pandemic. When the Rothko Pavilion opens in mid-2025, 95,000 square feet will have been added or renovated, and many of the permanent galleries will be rehung, introducing fresh perspectives on the Museum’s collection.
PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow was established in 1971 as the Northwest Film Center. It is an extension of the Museum and a year-round organization where artists and audiences explore our region and the world through cinematic storytelling in all its forms—including film, television, new media, audio storytelling, gaming, and immersive arts. PAM CUT’s mission is to change for whom, by whom, and how cinematic stories are told. Through a “cinema unbound” approach to exhibition, education, artist services, and special programs, PAM CUT embraces audiences and artists working at the intersection of art and cinema who are not content to be contained.
PAM CUT presents programs, events, and classes at three locations in Portland, including the newly opened Tomorrow Theater on the city’s east side. The theater devotes its nearly 9,000 square feet to the celebration and expansion of cinematic storytelling and new media, in a community recognized as an eclectic artistic and cultural hub. Signature series include Carte Blanche, where polymath artists take over programming of the space, Sneak Peaks, Unorthodox, and more—all with a “plus” model where audiences experience two or more art forms together.
Shared knowledge around art and film enriches our communities and helps all thrive and engage in a global society. Equity, diversity, and access to art, film, and education are critical to the ongoing work of the Portland Art Museum and PAM CUT. Learn more about the Museum’s commitment to equity at portlandartmuseum.org/equity-and-inclusion.
The Portland Art Museum and PAM CUT welcome all visitors and affirm their commitment to making their programs and collections accessible to everyone. The Museum and PAM CUT offer a variety of programs and services to ensure a quality experience and a safe, inclusive environment for every member of our diverse community. Learn more at portlandartmuseum.org/accessibility.