David Bailey shot to fame in the 60s, becoming one of the first photographers to gain the same notoriety as the celebrities he photographed. Born in London’s East End in 1938, David bought his first Rollieflex during his National Service in Malaysia; after demobbing, London fashion photographer John French hired him as an assistant. In 1960, David struck out on his own, capturing the ‘swinging London’ of the 60s. In 1964, he released a collection of half toned prints called Box of Pin Ups featuring photographs of celebrities including The Beatles, notorious East London gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray. A former colleague of i-D founder Terry Jones at British Vogue, David’s first contribution to the magazine was a cover shot of Sophie Hicks in June 1984. Artists including Marianne Faithfull, The Rolling Stones and Paul Weller have commissioned him for LP sleeve while David has directed commercials, documentaries and was awarded a Golden Lion at Cannes Film Festival in 1987 for his Greenpeace Meltdown PSA. In 2001, he was made a CBE for his services to photography. Collaborating with i-D Fashion Director Charlotte Stockdale for the Back to the Future Issue, the series of prints exhibited at the Paul Stopler Gallery in January 2011.
