Paul McCartney’s Exhibition Shows Rare Photos of The Beatles Early Days

Fans of The Beatles will soon get a real treat: Paul McCartney’s photo exhibition. Opening later this August in London, you’ll get a rare insight into the early days of The Beatles as “the Beatlemania” started to rise. We bring you more information, of course. But for those living far from the UK (like me), we’ll treat you to a few photos by McCartney himself as a consolation prize.

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Exhibition Details

The exhibition opens on August 28, 2025 at Gagosian’s Davies Street gallery. Titled Rearview Mirror: Liverpool–London–Paris, it presents a collection of rare Paul McCartney photos captured between December 1963 and early February 1964.

Shot with his 35mm Pentax camera, these images document the band’s meteoric leap from Liverpool legends to global icons. The Paul McCartney photography exhibition features both single frames and multi-image compositions. But whether they’re single or joined together, all photos offer intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpses from UK tours and the group’s Paris residency. McCartney took these photos mere weeks before the band’s historic first trip to America.

“It’s as if you’re in the room with them, hearing the laughter, feeling the hum before the curtain goes up,” says the gallery’s description. Among the moments captured are their UK headlining tour, a BBC Juke Box Jury appearance that drew 23 million viewers, The Beatles Christmas Show, and candid scenes backstage at famed London venues.

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Standout Photos from the Paul McCartney Photography Collection

One of the highlights is an enigmatic self-portrait of McCartney reflected in the attic mirror at his then-girlfriend Jane Asher’s home. In fact, it’s the same room where he dreamt the melody for Yesterday, which adds even more background story to this image. Another series freezes the tense moments before The Beatles’ flight to New York, the journey that would change music history.

Each print has been carefully remastered from negatives once thought lost for over half a century. What’s more, Paul McCartney signed every photo and framed it to his personal design. What a treat!

More Paul McCartney’s Exhibitions

The London show follows McCartney’s debut photography exhibition at Gagosian Beverly Hills earlier this year. It runs alongside the touring show Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm. That exhibition is on display now at San Francisco’s de Young Museum through October 5, 2025.

For Beatles fans like myself, I think this is more than an art show. It’s a time capsule into the heart of the 1960s, guided by no other than one of the biggest musical icons of the era. So, if you’re into the 1960’s music, especially The Beatles, make sure to visit this exhibition.

And if you’re far, far away, enjoy a few more photos below.

[Lead image credits: Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

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