Under the Influence: John Deakin, Photography and the Lure of Soho

by Robin Muir (Contributor), John Deakin (Photographs)

John Deakin (1912-1972) was one of London's greatest postwar photographers, renowned for his penetrating portraits, haunting street scenes and inventive fashion work. Though recognized as a genius by both peers and rivals, he was prodigal and careless with his talent. He flourished briefly at Vogue , but the lure of nearby Soho with its pubs, clubs and subterranean watering holes led him away from regular employment. Loved and loathed in equal measure, Deakin was a legendary member of the quarter's bohemian crowd of artists and misfits including the painters Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, the writers Dylan Thomas and Jeffrey Bernard, and Muriel Belcher, proprietor of the fabled drinking den the Colony Room. This volume explores the hidden corners and colorful characters of this notorious London scene as captured by Deakin. With dozens of his most compelling images, letters and contact sheets, it is an evocative record of life in and around 1950s and 1960s Soho.

Genres: Photography

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2014

About the author

Robin Muir is a British curator, photographic historian and writer.

He has contributed to British Vogue and curated major exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Yale Centre for British Art in New Haven.

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb British catalog on John Deakin and his photographs (with the occasional painting, etc). The text is also super interesting, regarding the world of Deakin and Soho life during the 1950s. Here is a man who uses failure as an art form of sorts. For all of those who are interested in Soho London, Francis Bacon, and Freud (the painter) this book is a must!

[M. Sarki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under the Influence: John Deakin, Photography and the Lure of Soho

If there is such a thing as raw genius then John Deakin had it, and then some. There is no photographer’s work and being itself that arouses me more than John Deakin’s. It is little matter to me if his sickness made of him a bad boy, a drunk and irresponsible hire, or an impossible-to-handle apostate. He was a gifted artist of the first rank.

Robin Muir has captured in his text a feeling for John Deakin that no others have before him. His biography was the most detailed yet of any I have previously read and it was certainly well-written. The amazing collection of photographs, handbills, and correspondence included in the book also attest to the truth behind any previously made innuendo. Rarely these days do new art books employ the use of weighty fine paper and quality cloth hardboards. The publisher obviously spared no expense in the creation of this book. This is a volume to be treasured and displayed with gratitude for all who were involved in the production of this fine artifact.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting as I have just discovered John Deakin via his diptych double portraits of Janet Flanner and her girlfriend Natalia Danesi Murray in Rome which I love love love. These are not mentioned in here but it was useful reading nonetheless and I’m looking to learn more.