27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Cecil Beaton's Garden Party at the The Garden Museum review: a chance to wallow in Beaton's charm and gaiety
This little show is his life told through flowers. There's a fabulous photo of Rex Whistler at the outset, reclining with a mandolin and knee breeches, which sets the tone. Then there's his early life, taking pictures of his mother and sisters in the gardens; an account of his years at Ashcombe; his royal photography - and clever Cecil managed simultaneously to keep Wallis Simpson and Queen Elizabeth onside in 1937, making the latter look less dumpy than ethereal in the garden with a parasol. There are his opera and ballet sets, including a model for the stage for Turandot (we are reminded that his war work including a stint in the Far East which he put to use artistically) and there are some of his costume designs for My Fair Lady – plus the Oscar statuette he got for his costume work on the film. There are some charming letters to him from his gardener, letting him know how the prized delphiniums were getting on.
