Paul McCartney's personal photos of Beatlemania bound for AGO in 2026

Paul McCartney is shown in this self-portrait in London in this 1963 handout photo. A collection of Beatlemania photographs shot by Paul McCartney himself is headed to the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Toronto gallery says 鈥淧aul McCartney Photographs 1963鈥64: Eyes of the Storm鈥 will make its Canadian debut in 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - 1963-1964 Paul McCartney, MPL Archives LLP *MANDATORY CREDIT *

TORONTO - A collection of Beatlemania photographs shot by Paul McCartney himself is headed to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The Toronto gallery says 鈥淧aul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm鈥 will make its Canadian debut in 2026.

The exhibit includes video clips, archival materials and more than 250 photographs offering a behind-the-scenes look at the meteoric rise of the Beatles.

The AGO says that includes 鈥渕ore intimate views鈥 of bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as fanaticism over the U.K. band gripped North America.

The exhibit was organized by London's National Portrait Gallery, in collaboration with McCartney.聽

AGO special projects curator Jim Shedden says McCartney photos reveal "extraordinary creative intuition."

"These images are alive with excitement and capture a moment in time when McCartney stood at the centre of a global storm," Shedden said Friday in a release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2025.

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