Bert Hardy: Photojournalism in War and Peace

Fascinating exhibition at the  Photographers’ Gallery on the life and work of the photojournalist Bert Hardy.

I went into the show not thinking I knew any of his work but was immediately greeted by an image of two girls on the seafront at Blackpool which I remember from many book covers and friends rooms at college. I laughed out loud when I read his comment on it from 1985 “People who have hardly ever heard of me will suddenly remember that picture. That’s me” and it was me too! From that moment I was hooked.

Hardy was a pioneering photojournalist working for Picture Post from two years after its foundation in 1958. The journal aimed to explore social issues and he worked for them in the UK and abroad. I loved his clear, well-constructed images particularly those framed in doorways.

I was fascinated by his work in the Second World War working for the Army Film and Photographic Unit. He landed in Normandy three days after D-Day and went into Bergen-Belsen a few days after liberation.

Closes 2 June 2024


 

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