Luminous and whimsical, Tim Walker’s photography offers an immersive journey at The Getty’s latest exhibit. Wonderful Things, Walker’s Renaissance-themed photography collection, features the playful and vibrant shots the photographic artist is known for, both surreal and otherworldly. His cultural legacy and unique vision shapes a tour de force show, not dissimilar to The Getty’s Pacific Standard Time multimedia exhibit, which presented original Latin American and Latino art from the WeHo Artes program.
Born in 1970 in Guildford, Surrey, Walker spent a bucolic childhood in rural Dorset, where he and his brother were free to run wild among the valleys and rivers. Having the freedom to explore natural wonders inspired him, and his first photographic images were taken by stealing his brother’s instant camera, using film with developing chemicals already embedded. Later, he’d borrow his father’s camera to snap shots of the countryside around the family’s home. Initially intimidated by the technical components of photography, Walker took a three-year photography course at Exeter College of Art, which led him into the world of fashion photography.
Walker started his career as an assistant to Richard Avedon, learning the art of storytelling from the photographic fashion icon. This knowledge led to a break-out commission with Vogue in 1995, and other high-concept fashion shots for major magazines. Overtime, he shaped the surreal photography style all his own, one distinguished by his fantastical dreamscapes and his childhood-derived penchant for using medium-format film cameras—particularly the Pentax 6×7—when shooting. Using common film formats like 35mm and instant film cartridges, his work has a unique coloring allowing viewers to see his subjects as they would in the real world. Contrasted with the sets and props Walker constructs for each shoot, his photos are uniquely-colored, ethereal escapes that shape another world, one emulating the daydreaming common in children but so often lost among adults.
All of this led to the collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition begun in 2016, featuring his past work in the fashion industry and new work in conjunction with the museum. Walker spent a year exploring the museum archives to find what excited him.
An illustrated manuscript made for the Duchess of Brittany in the 1470s and a dress from Alexander McQueen’s Horn of Plenty were among his selections, shaping new photographic projects for nine photoshoots, the creations of a white room retrospective of his past images, and opulent room sets by Shona Heath to display new images along with the objects that inspired them. Wonderful Things had arrived.
Walker’s 2023 Wonderful Things at the Getty is a revamped version of his previous Victoria and Albert Museum project. On display are previous works, and a replication of his process, drawing inspiration from museum objects. This iteration also includes another series of photographs, this time prompted by two paintings from The Getty. This lustrous photo exhibition runs May 2 to August 20, and serves as a terrific exploration of Walker’s magical worlds, one that encourages contemplation and some – very much needed in today’s world – daydreaming revelations.
- Collaborative post, edited by Genie Davis; photos provided by The Getty
Such an excellent review. His historical background, the history of his creative efforts, and how it has been told with such depth, humanity and warmth gave me a better understanding and a desire to see this exhibition,