Elton John and his husband David Furnish have collected more than 7,000 works of fine art photography over the past thirty years.
John and Furnish are among the world’s largest photography collectors. They both have a passion for photography and the impact a good photo can have. John talks about how seeing fashion photography as art changed everything for him. A celebrity himself, John has been photographed countless times and never paid attention to photography until he was with a friend at an art exhibition. When his friend was buying photos, John began to consider photography as art. John bought ten pictures that evening.
One of the series featured in the video is Nan Golden’s “Thanksgiving,” which depicts the AIDS epidemic, drug addiction and abuse. John recalls his addictions and how he became hooked on the series. John and Furnish also have AIDS organizations, so this topic is important to both of them.
John and Furnish also have a number of prints by African American photographers, who until now have been underrepresented. As you may know, photographers like Tyler Mitchell and Wardell Milan are making a big mark in photography and the world of fine art photography.
Robert Mapplethorpe was John and Furnish’s most prolific artist, with over a hundred prints. A photo of Mapplethorpe always hung in each of their homes.
There are a lot of great images discussed in this video and a lot of great photographers. The power of a photo is undeniable, and the importance of capturing a moment in time is how we remember the meaning of that time. As John said: “Nothing tells the truth like a photo.”
