The Exhibition of the Man Who Invented Glamour: Cecil Beaton in London

Opening this autumn at the National Portrait Gallery, Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World celebrates the legendary photographer, artist and designer who defined the look of British glamour in the 20th century. Bringing together over 200 exhibits — from rare photographs and exquisite costumes to original Vogue covers — the show traces Beaton’s dazzling career, from the spirited 1920s and wartime elegance to the triumph of My Fair Lady. Among his muses: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Queen Elizabeth II and other icons of an extraordinary age. The Afisha.London team has already visited the exhibition and shares its impressions.

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The exhibition reveals Beaton as a visionary with a singular eye for beauty. His self-portraits and early experiments play with identity and performance, while portraits from the Gallery’s own collection — by Man Ray, Richard Avedon and others — show Beaton through the eyes of his contemporaries. Alongside them are evocative photographs of his friends, writers, artists and patrons of interwar London, the creative circle that helped shape his rise as one of its defining figures.

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His close friendships with fashion luminaries such as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli inspired Beaton’s foray into haute couture and his long-standing collaboration with Vogue. Paris left an indelible mark on him — his final major fashion commission, published in Vogue Paris in 1979, just a year before his death, was a fitting finale to his extraordinary career. On display are original magazines featuring Beaton’s covers and iconic fashion shoots that cemented his reputation.

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Photo: Afisha.London

Beaton’s images of the British royal family, which earned him worldwide acclaim as their official chronicler, hold a place of honour in the exhibition. In 1939, he was invited to photograph Queen Elizabeth II — a portrait that remains one of the most enduring royal images of all time. Over the decades that followed, Beaton’s photographs helped shape a modern vision of monarchy — regal yet human.

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Another section transports visitors to New York and Hollywood, where Beaton brought his fashion sensibility to the silver screen. His luminous portraits of stars such as Gary Cooper and Elizabeth Taylor, along with behind-the-scenes shots taken on film sets, capture the glamour and allure of cinema’s golden age.

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Photo: Afisha.London

The exhibition culminates with My Fair Lady — the pinnacle of Beaton’s Broadway, West End and Hollywood career. On view are his Academy Award for the film, a portrait of Leslie Caron from Gigi, and the iconic gown worn by Eliza Doolittle in 1958. Together they reveal how Beaton united fashion, theatre and film into a visual language of timeless beauty and sophistication.

Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World at the National Portrait Gallery runs from 9 October 2025 till 11 January 2026. More information here

Cover photo: Afisha.London

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