Title
Portrait of Samuel BeckettDate1976
MediumVintage gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 29.3 × 19.7 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 2019
Object numberNGI.2019.176
DescriptionDescribed as an "English Cartier-Bresson" by Lord Snowdon, Jane Bown started her photographic career in 1949 when her portrait of British philosopher and Nobel laureate, Bertrand Russell appeared in The Observer. Bown is admired for her straightforward, naturally posed, black and white portraits, usually taken with available light. She has photographed some of the world’s most notable actors, writers, artists and politicians including Samuel Beckett, Francis Bacon, Margaret Thatcher, and Queen Elizabeth II. In 1995 she was awarded a CBE for her outstanding contribution to photography. Bown is represented by 6 works in total in the NGI collection.Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) was an author, critic, and playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. He wrote in both French and English and is perhaps best known for his plays, especially 'En attendant Godot' (1952; Waiting for Godot). This was one of three frames Bown took of the famously camera-shy playwright whilst he was directing Billie Whitelaw in 'Happy Days' at The Royal Court. This is considered one of Bown's most iconic photographs.