David Bailey’s ‘Papua Polaroids’ on show for first time

Art Newspaper (UK)

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER for British Vogue, David Bailey found fame capturing the “swinging” London scene of the 1960s.

But, says the vintage photograph dealer Daniel Blau, Bailey’s photography “goes much deeper than what you can see in a glossy magazine”.

This month, Blau’s London gallery will show for the first time Bailey's Papua Polaroids taken when the photographer ventured into the Papua New Guinea highlands in 1974.

The photos were unexpectedly discovered by Blau during a recent visit to Bailey’s studio. Blau believes the market for instant photographs is undervalued.

“They are the most direct proof of the communication between the artist, the sitter and the viewer,” he says.