A series of rare behind the scenes photographs of the world’s most iconic rock stars and actors during the 1970’s are to be exhibited at The American Museum & Gardens in Bath.
Shooting Stars runs from 21st May to 31st October, and features a collection of 63 intimate natural portraits and lifestyle shots taken in America and the UK by 70’s model, actress and ‘It Girl’, Carinthia West.
The photographs, some of which have not been exhibited before, document the era, as well as her close personal friendships with the likes of Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, George Harrison, Eric Idle, Shelley Duvall, Helen Mirren, Neil Young, and Anjelica Huston, as they enjoyed life away from the limelight.
The only child of General Sir Michael West, UK representative of NATO in Washington DC, and Lady Christine West, Carinthia grew up in the presence of some of the 20th century's most well-known names from music, film and society.
Carinthia said: “I would come down the stairs as a child and be greeted by visiting British VIP’s such as Beyond The Fringe’s Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook and Julie Christie. I also attended cultural events and concerts at the British Embassy and the Kennedy White House, so being around famous artists and performers was something that was just normal for me.”
West was discovered as a model at the age of 16 standing at a bus stop on The King’s Road in London by Beatles’ photographer Robert Whitaker. Becoming a model gave her unprecedented access to the lives of those she worked alongside, and so she decided to take her own camera on set and keep a visual diary from then on.
Carinthia photographed all those who crossed her path, whether on the set of a film or at one of the many all-night parties at Ronnie Wood’s Malibu beach house. She became close personal friends with the stars, and in turn they allowed her to photograph them during their downtime.
Carinthia said: “All the photographs in this exhibition were based on trust, friendship and respect; we were just having fun together and I happened to have my camera.”
Hollywood actress Anjelica Huston said: “Carinthia photographed us as friends; it wasn’t a commercial atmosphere, it was friendship, and it was I think, for her, about recording a certain era.”
The exhibition, which is Carinthia’s largest to be held in the UK, features a number of shots that have not been seen publicly before including a portrait of The Shining actor Shelley Duvall in between takes on the set of Robert Altman’s 3 Women.
There are also a series of shots, called the ‘Long Night’, which document the night that Ronnie Wood’s son Jesse was born. This involved a last minute dash to the hospital in Neil Young’s hearse, during one of Ronnie’s parties. These extremely intimate personal shots show expectant father Ronnie and band mate Mick Jagger waiting in the hospital for the arrival of the Wood’s first child.
Ronnie Wood said: “Carinthia was one of these people who you expected to have a camera…she took pictures while we were getting on with life.”
The collection on show also includes the 1976 images of Pink Floyd’s Animals album shoot. Carinthia’s photographs of the now iconic inflatable pig floating above Battersea Power Station were chosen by the band for their current international touring exhibition; Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition.
Shooting Stars Curator Steven Parissien said - “Carinthia’s photographs allow us to see the likes of Mick Jagger and Eric Idle as real people, rather than a polished version of themselves. They show a simpler time when people were less self-aware and obsessed with the way they looked on camera.
“They also present an upbeat and buoyant view of the 1970’s. I think the exhibition’s colour, fun, and vivid exuberance act as a kind of antidote to the year we’ve just had.”
Shooting Stars: Carinthia West, Britain and America in the 1970s runs from 21 May – 31 October 2021. For more information please see: https://americanmuseum.org/
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