ROBERT WHITAKER (United Kingdom, 1939-2011) "Beatles... Lot 22

ROBERT WHITAKER (United Kingdom, 1939-2011) "Beatles Umbrellas. Photographic paper. Numbered 16/30. Signed in the lower right corner: Robert Whitaker. Measurements: 63,5 X 60 cm. In this photograph the Beatles pose in a group portrait, holding striped umbrellas, in a hotel in Perthshire, Scotland, 1964. From left to right: Ringo Starr, John Lennon (1940 - 1980), George Harrison (1943 - 2001) and Paul McCartney. The band and their photographer Robert Whitaker were determined to create something different from the usual promotional photos. Robert Whitaker (UK, 1939), who has died aged 72, was the Beatles' camera photographer between August 1964 and November 1966. An Englishman who emigrated to Australia, he was discovered there by the group's manager, Brian Epstein, who was very sensitive to the quality of visual work. Robert Whitaker, born in Britain in 1939, died in 2011. Robert described himself as "a young Australian", as his father and grandfather were both Australian. Although he has worked primarily in Britain, Australia and Australia, the connections have been a major influence on his work and career. Robert began working as a photographer in London in the late 1950s, but moved to Melbourne in 1961, where he began studying at Melbourne University and became part of Melbourne's small but thriving art scene. Robert was running an independent penthouse photography studio in Flinders Street, Melbourne, when he had his fateful meeting with The Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein, during their 1964 tour of Australia. His meeting came about more or less by accident, when he accompanied a journalist friend to an interview with Brian Epstein for a Jewish News article. The image was published with the article, which led him to meet Epstein and his first shots of the Beatles, photos of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, each holding boomerangs presented by their Australian fans. Robert Whitaker: "I photographed Epstein, saw that he was a peacock and a gentleman, and put peacock feathers around his head in photographic relief. It was removed when he saw the photo.