When Don McCullin stepped into Crowthers Reclamation Yard in Isleworth in 1963, surrounded by broken Roman busts and weathered statuary, he was already establishing his reputation as a photographer documenting conflict and urban decay. What he captured that day – his only self-portrait – has never been exhibited in the UK. Until now.
The image seems oddly prophetic. This was McCullin at the height of his war photography years. Yet here he is, immersed in the classical antiquities that would become a significant preoccupation decades later.
