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Paul McCartney said about his photographer wife Linda “she always knew when to click” which is one of the best things you could ever say about a photographer. I visited the Center on Earth Day, and there was free food, and lots of great energy in the building and masses of visitors. I overheard on several occasions “she was married to Paul of the Beatles you know!”

For serious amateur photographers like me, this exhibition of her photography,covering more than 32 years, was a delight, as it was very nicely curated by her family members and was divided up into Family, artists, and experimentation. We probably all know now that Linda was the first female photographer to land an image of a rock star (Eric Clapton) on a Rolling Stone magazine cover, and I loved some of the rock star images she created for those early years, but the exhibit delved into the many sides of this woman that gave it depth.

John & Yoko Photo: Linda McCartney

What made it unique was the fact that she was taking photos of rock stars before she married Paul and that gave her access to a lot of musicians(I really loved the BB King shot) But her ability to take intimate, behind the scenes photos of the Beatles, who were The Rock Band of the moment, plus being a founding member of the band Wings, with her husband, meant we got to see a lot of great photos of both the early 60’s rock star and the 70’s scene and beyond.

The family photos showed a lovely domestic life with Paul, the kids, and the animals. Linda the wife, Mom, and photographer. These were my favorites. But other areas of the Center showing her experimentation with all kinds of other photographic processes were excellent. She started with photography in Tucson and the Center had an adjoining room showing some of her teachers while she attended classes at the University of Arizona. A great exhibit!

© 2023 Patricia Cassidy