Tim Walker in Los Angeles
AT THE GETTY
We thought we’d give you a taste of the wonderful things that have arrived in Los Angeles.
Tim Walker’s photographs are stunning in their own right. But when you pair Walker’s photography with the pieces that inspired him, you have an event not to be missed. The mind soars in delight as you gasp at the wonders from the ancient world put to a new and wonderful purpose by Walker. It’s as if a generous friend whispered follow me, I’ll share the secrets of my world with you.
Like some modern svengali, Walker remakes the past into an incandescent present, lighting the way for the future.
He is a photographer for our time. Wit, elegance and originality personified.
“The photographs you are about to see are directly influenced by my experience of the treasures I encountered at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Each picture is an attempt to capture the emotion I felt on meeting these objects and the stories they conjured in my mind. As I wandered around the V&A, I imagined how it must have felt for the archaeologist Howard Carter when he first encountered the sublime contents of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.
“As my eyes grew accustomed to the light,” he wrote in his 1923 book about the discovery, “details of the room within, emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold—everywhere the glint of gold... I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words ‘Yes, wonderful things.’ ”
—Tim Walker as quoted by the Getty
wit
Pen and Ink, 2017, Tim Walker. Model: Duckie Thot and Aubrey’s Shadow; Fashion: Saint Laurent. London. Chromogenic print. © Tim Walker Studio
elegance
Why Not Be Oneself?, 2018, Tim Walker. Model: Tilda Swinton; Fashion: Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Vela, UNOde50, A. Brandt + Son, Lisa Eisner Jewelry. Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire. Chromogenic print. © Tim Walker Studio
Originality
Lil’ Dragon, 2018, Tim Walker. Model: Xie Chaoyu; Fashion: Roksanda, Namilia x Kira Goodey (footwear). London. Chromogenic print. © Tim Walker Studio
& WONDERFUL THINGS
Cloud 9, 2018, Tim Walker. Models: Radhika Nair, Chawntell Kulkarni, Yusuf Siddiqi, Ravyanshi Mehta, Kiran Kandola, Jeenu Mahadevan, Part 1; Fashion: Emma Cook, Roksanda. Pershore, Worcestershire. Chromogenic print. © Tim Walker Studio
SPECIAL EVENT
TONIGHT 7 PM PST
ONLINE
JOIN A ZOOM CONVERSATION
ARTIST TIM WALKER,
CURATOR SUSANNA BROWN
W MAGAZINE EDITOR SARA MOONVES.
On the occasion of the exhibition Tim Walker: Wonderful Things, an opening day conversation between the artist, curator Susanna Brown, and fashion editor Sara Moonves examines Walker’s fascinating images, with particular attention to the commissioned photographs inspired by the collections of the Getty Museum and the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum featured in the exhibition.
For in-person attendees, the exhibition Tim Walker: Wonderful Things will be open for viewing until 6:45 pm. Conversation start time is 7pm.
Salvia as Queen, 2022, Tim Walker. London. Inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist. © 2022 Tim Walker