Background
He was born and worked in London.
He was born and worked in London.
At the time of his death Harry Diamond was described in the Times as: "one of the heroes of British 20th-century photography...his acutely observed pictures showed a polish and hue not often seen in the canons of British photography Before becoming a photographer in the 1960s, Harry Diamond worked as a stagehand. He often drank in Soho and knew many of the artists whom he photographed sometimes several times, including Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud, Stephen Finer, John Wonnacott and others, as well as the photographer John Deakin Other artists whom he photographed included: Michael Andrews, William Coldstream, Edward Middleditch, Eduardo Paolozzi, Peter Blake, Gilbert and George. From his interest in jazz Diamond also photographed jazz musicians.
An early exhibition was called: West End Blues after Louis Armstrong"s recording.
Diamond photographed the Duke Ellington Orchestra, photographing Paul Jeffries and Paul Gonsalves together and Ellington himself on stage. A photograph of Ellington was chosen by Bruce Bernard for the collection he made of 100 photographs from 1840-1990 that were exhibited at the V & A and published in the Phaidon Press book of the same name.
Diamond photographed people in London streets and as buildings disappeared, photographed the East End of London where he lived. Diamond"s photographs are in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, The Arts Council Collection and Jean Paul Getty Museum.
Following Harry Diamond"s death his photographic archive is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.
Harry Diamond was painted three times by Lucian Freud. Firstly, in Interior at Paddington in 1951 and twice subsequently. A photograph by Herb Greer of Diamond with Frank Norman appears on the cover of Norman"s book Stand on Maine published in 1959.
Diamond died aged 85 in Whipps Cross Hospital on 3 December 2009.
Diamond"s photographs have been shown in the Hayward Gallery, Photographer"s Gallery, Battersea Arts Centre, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Michael Parkin Fine Art, Cafe Gallery Southwark, National Portrait Gallery, Sudley House, The Space, Victoria and Albert Museum, Whitechapel Art Gallery and elsewhere.
