By Lauren Jade Hill
Photographer John Stoddart has been capturing iconic images of the world’s most eminent celebrities for the past 25 years. Known for photographing celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan, Michael Kane and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the British photographer has been lauded as one of the Top 100 Photography Heroes in Professional Photography Magazine, with EMI, The New York Times and Vogue among his high-profile clients. Now, Stoddart is showcasing a selection of his works at London’s celebrated French fine dining restaurant L’Escargot in Soho.
Beginning on September 26th, 2017, the two-part exhibition will bring together a number of his most iconic celebrity portraits—including photographs of Martin Scorcese and Daniel Craig—as well as a series of photographs depicting the journey of life. “I’m thrilled to display a diverse body of my work for the first time at L’Escargot,” says Stoddart, “It’s a London dining institution with its own incredible history of celebrities and influential characters that have taken a seat for dinner. It made perfect sense to display a collection of my most provocative and iconic work here.”
Part one of the exhibition is titled From Beverly Hills to Soho, featuring a collection of his most important celebrity portraits taken over three decades, which aim to show each individual’s real emotions, from Catherine Zeta-Jones dancing on a bed in the Dorchester Hotel to Jeremy Irons sitting in the back of a taxi looking straight into the lens. Part two, named Memento Mori, is then a series of 22 photographs taken in photography sessions over a number of years, representing his vision of the journey of life. Through these images he strives to encapsulate our passions, desires and fears.
Having hosted celebrities such as Coco Chanel, Elton John and Judy Dench throughout its history, the Soho restaurant L’Escargot is the ideal fit for this showcase of Stoddart’s work, giving guests the chance to dine among the stars.
The exhibition will run from September 26th to October 6th, 2017. lescargot.co.uk