Machu Picchu, Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca … David Bailey’s Peru is a collection of images shot by the photographer while on location for Vogue in 1971 and Tatler in 1984. Struck by the natural beauty he saw on these assignments, Bailey set out to document people in their natural habitats in addition to his fashion work
The exhibition runs from 19 October to 21 December at Heni Gallery in central London
David Bailey
Main image: People build a hut on a floating island Photograph: David Bailey
Fri 2 Nov 2018 09.35 EDT Last modified on Thu 21 Jan 2021 12.06 EST
‘Whether fashion, portraiture or documentary, these photographs occupy a space between reality and fantasy, fact and fiction, realism and surrealism. To borrow the words of Vargas Llosa, they represent Bailey’s inventions, his dreams and illusions.’ Jackie Higgins Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Creaciones, San Martin‘Much about the Peru fashion imagery hints at authenticity. Bailey often chose to insert the model into existing everyday scenes.’ Jackie Higgins Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
‘Why include fashion in a travel book? I suppose I did it because people can be quite snobbish about fashion shoots. They have a misguided idea that the photographer is told what to do by the magazine. This may be true with a lot of photographers but not the good ones. What they do is just as important as any other picture-making.’ David Bailey Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
‘Bailey would shoot fashion in the morning and the evening “so the models could open their eyes” leaving the rest of the day to do his own work.’ Grace Coddington Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Bailey began a portraiture project that at first glance seemed to celebrate a well-known series by Irving Penn, who had also travelled to Peru in 1948 Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
‘A far cry from the demands of a contemporary shoot, with its mammoth crew and rigid itinerary, his Peru trips were pure adventure. Bailey, a couple of accomplices and a model.’ Grace Coddington Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
