John & Yoko Happy Xmas War is over
The first ever retrospective of Dundee born photographer, Iain Macmillan was officially opened by Murray Chalmers at Discovery Point, Dundee on Friday 26 February 2010.
Iain, who sadly died in 2006, bequeathed his collection to one of his friends in the hope that he would arrange an exhibition of his work in his hometown of Dundee. This is the first ever retrospective of Iain’s work and Dundee Heritage Trust is delighted to have played a part in bringing this exceptional exhibition to the public.
Possibly the most famous photograph Iain took was the cover shot for the Beatles Abbey Road album. He was given 10 minutes to take the shot during a break in rehearsals at Abbey Road; little did he know that those 10 minutes would produce one of the most iconic images in the world today.
Ian also worked extensively on projects with Yoko Ono and John Lennon and designed the cover for the couple’s single Happy Xmas (War is Over). He photographed the clouds on Live Peace Toronto (1969) and was also involved in Sometime in New York. Yoko Ono still considers Ian’s work to be exceptional and speaking from New York earlier this month said
“I am so glad that Iain is getting some recognition. He was an incredible photographer.”
The exhibition consists of 5 different themes: The Abbey Road images; his work with John Lennon and Yoko Ono; portraits of various celebrities in the 60s which include, Twiggy, Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend; an evocative series of Dundee in the late 50’s; Iain’s own personal artistic photography.
Also on display will be some of the cameras Iain used to created these amazing photographs and a number of artefacts and objects reflecting his work and his relationships with Yoko Ono and Paul and Linda McCartney.
Gill Poulter, Heritage & Exhibitions Director for Dundee Heritage Trust said ‘We are truly honoured to hold the first ever retrospective of Iains work. He was very much a forgotten son of Dundee who deserves to be more widely know. I believe he was a very humble man who was incredibly modest about his own achievements. By displaying his photographs and memorabilia, we are showing the world what an incredible artist Iain really was’.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
