Beatles Exhibit at Museum

‘Special’ Exhibition of the Beatles and Eric Clapton Opens on Saturday, May 7th at the Catalina Island Museum

Although Pattie Boyd’s name may not be instantly familiar, her autobiography topped the New York Times’ best-seller list in 2007. Little wonder, when you consider this: she met George Harrison while an extra on the Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night and married Harrison at the height of Beatlemania. Already a successful model, she enjoyed a privileged spot inside the Beatles’ inner circle and was a major force in “Swinging 60s London.” She even inspired the Beatles to learn meditation and go on their celebrated trek to India in 1968. Her closest friends included rock n’roll stars like Mick Fleetwood and the Stones’ Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards. Mick Jagger admitted that he tried unsuccessfully for years to seduce her. Eric Clapton was so smitten by her that he pursued her well after his first attempts failed. Years later, after divorcing Harrison, Boyd married Clapton and traveled with him on concert tours throughout the world. And during all of this, she inspired several of the greatest love songs ever recorded, including Wonderful Tonight and Layla by Clapton and Harrison’s Something.

Throughout her extraordinary life, Pattie Boyd took photographs of the celebrated people around her. Many of these photographs are compiled for the first time in Yesterday and Today: The Beatles and Eric Clapton as Photographed by Pattie Boyd, which will open at the Catalina Island Museum on May 7. According to Michael De Marsche, the museum’s Executive Director, the exhibition offers an unusual examination of Boyd’s life that is absolutely unique.

“You have to understand that this show was really organized by Pattie Boyd herself,” De Marsche said. “Every photograph is her selection. What she created with the exhibition is something that goes beyond a simple photographic record of people. The photographs are so intimate that they are like journal entries. When you look at the whole show, you see a very personal view of an entire era of rock history.”

The exhibition is large, over 50 photographs, and one special aspect of the show is the number of photographs that have never been exhibited before. In an attempt to create something unique, Boyd searched for weeks through her trove of photographs, and found several that she had yet to exhibit.

“As I unpacked the show, I was just stunned by the sheer number of personalities she photographed,” De Marsche said. “But then you notice how intimate so many of them are. No one else could have taken these photographs. Who else had this kind of access?”

While looking at the photographs and preparing them for exhibition, Jeannine Pedersen, Curator of the museum, was impressed by the variety of subjects.

“Look at what’s here,” Pedersen said. “You see the Beatles in India when Pattie traveled with them to study Transcendental Meditation. You see George Harrison quietly composing at a piano in their home. In one photograph George is in his recording studio, and in another he’s walking the hills of their magnificent estate. You see Eric Clapton deep in conversation with the likes of Mick Jagger and Phil Collins. In another photograph he’s lost in thought, playing guitar on the steps of a cottage. There’s no show in the world that can give you this type of perspective into the lives of real legends of rock n’roll.”

While organizing the show Pattie Boyd made an interesting discovery of her own. “Early in the process, I asked Pattie if she and George ever traveled to Catalina Island,” De Marsche said. “I knew they were often in Los Angeles. One day she tells me, very excitedly, that she has discovered not one but two photographs of George and a friend on a fishing boat. And Catalina Island is in the background! One of these photographs is absolutely amazing. George is laughing because right behind him is a military submarine that has just surfaced!”

In a recent interview conducted with The Los Angeles Times from her home in the English countryside, Pattie remembered the incident. “I recently stumbled across two snapshots I took of George on that charter boat,” Boyd said. “They reminded me of how there is something amazing about islands. People are drawn to them, and what often follows is luck, love or a dramatic new turn in your life.”

According to De Marsche, the Boyd exhibition is of major significance to the museum, and it has gone to special lengths to satisfy museum patrons.“We interviewed Pattie Boyd recently and captured some wonderful footage on video. So, we decided to create a short documentary about her life that includes footage of John Lennon, the Beatles and an interview with George Harrison. I think it adds a special dimension to the exhibition, one not often seen at other museums.”

The opening reception for Yesterday and Today: The Beatles and Eric Clapton as Photographed by Pattie Boyd will take place on Saturday, May 7th from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The exhibition runs through July 31st. Tickets to the opening are free for museum members and $5.00 for the general public.

Pattie Boyd will make a special appearance at the Catalina Island Museum on July 2nd from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. She will be signing her best-selling book Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me. Tickets for this event are free for members and $10.00 for the general public.

The Catalina Island Museum is located on the ground floor of Avalon’s historic Casino, and is open 7 days a week, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, the museum may be reached by telephone at 310-510-4650 or at its website: www.CatalinaMuseum.org.