The Beatles: In The Beginning

Photographs by Astrid Kirchherr

Exhibition runs 19 October to 16 November 2019

In our new exhibition we present the work of Astrid Kirchherr, who created compelling images documenting important aspects of The Beatles’ early years in Hamburg.

Astrid Kirchherr

“Astrid was the one, really, who influenced our image more than anybody. She made us look good. She was the one who had the leather kecks and the Beatles haircut.” – George Harrison

A protégé of the renowned Hamburg-based photographer Reinhart Wolf, Astrid Kirchherr, befriended The Beatles in 1960 when they were a five piece featuring Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. She first photographed them in that same year, and her well-known Hamburg funfair portraits of that five piece line-up were the band’s first proper professional photographic session. She became engaged to Stuart Sutcliffe, who left the band and stayed with her in Hamburg. She continued on her path as a photographer after Stuart’s untimely death.

John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, Hamburg, 1960