The Victoria and Albert Museum presents Fragile Beauty, a major exhibition of over 300 rare prints from the private collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. The exhibition, which runs from May 19th, 2024 to January 5th, 2025, features a remarkable range of 20th and 21st century photography, presenting epochal images that explore the balance between strength and vulnerability in the human condition.
The photographs, selected from a collection of over 7,000 images, include many on public display for the first time. Fragile Beauty brings together an all-star cast of the world’s leading photographers to tell the story of modern and contemporary photography from 1950 to the present day. Highlights include a massive installation of Nan Goldin’s Thanksgiving series and works by acclaimed artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei and Carrie Mae Weems. New acquisitions by Tyler Mitchell, Trevor Paglen, and An-My Lê are also on view. Early acquisitions include fashion photography by Horst P. Horst, Irving Penn, and Herb Ritts.
Fragile Beauty celebrates 30 years of collecting by Sir Elton John and David Furnish, reflecting their passion for photography and their unique perspective as collectors. Organised into eight thematic sections, the exhibition explores fashion, reportage, celebrity, the male body and American photography. It also includes portraits of iconic stars such as Aretha Franklin, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles and Chet Baker. Many of the images deal with important issues in history, such as civil rights, AIDS and the events of 9/11.
Self-Portrait, 1985
Poppy, 1988
Clemens, Jens and Nicolas Laughing at Le Pulp, Paris, 1999
Nan’s Bed, Brooklyn, New York, 2018
Jimmy Paulette and Tabboo! In The Bathroom, New York, 1991
