Mary McCartney

Mary McCartney

Author: Russell Tovey and Robert Diament July 5, 2024 Duration: 1:20:18

We meet Mary McCartney, world renowned photographer, film-maker and sustainable food pioneer. As a leading British creative, her work covers multiple disciplines, but is always rooted in her passion for impactful storytelling.


We meet at Claridges Art Space in London to explore her joint show 'Double Exposure' with photography legend David Bailey. Unfolding like a conversation between two friends, Double Exposure: David Bailey & Mary McCartney brings two era-defining British photographers into dialogue for the first time. Curated by Brandei Estes, this striking series of works spans the 1960s to the present day – exploring a shared aesthetic of reinvention, play and the art of portraiture itself.


Mary McCartney’s insightful gaze reveals enigmatic and evocative portraits of celebrity icons, from Kate Moss to Harry Styles. Like Bailey, there’s a dash of the theatrical and performative in her photographs. But set alongside everyday moments – a ballet dancer ‘off pointe’ or a woman hailing a taxi – she conjures the sense that anything, or anyone, could be a subject. 


As a portrait and fine art photographer, McCartney’s work has been featured globally, with exhibitions taking place in London, New York, France and in 2015 was invited by Buckingham Palace to take the official photograph to mark Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning Monarch. Her work is held in major private and public permanent collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the National Portrait Gallery, London; The Royal Academy, London; and the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Paris, and has been commissioned by leading publications including National Geographic, British Vogue and GQ. 


In 2023, McCartney’s first feature documentary If These Walls Could Sing, the untold story of the Abbey Road Studios 90 year history, was selected to premiere at The Telluride Film Festival. Streaming globally on Disney, and was nominated for a Critics Choice Documentary Award. 


McCartney has also been at the forefront of food sustainability for over 25 years, with a history and heritage rooted in her mother’s pioneering work and creation of one of the first meat free brands Linda McCartney Food in 1991. In 2009, Mary co-founded the global collective Meat Free Monday with her father and sister, and is a global ambassador for Green Common Foods, a food tech brand in Asia that is focused on plant based meat substitute products. McCartney has also executive produced and presented three seasons of her EMMY nominated plant based cooking show, “Mary McCartney Serves It Up!” for Discovery+.


McCartney is a multi-published author, with a range of fine art photography books available from globally renowned publishers including, HENI and Chatto & Windus. Combining her passion for food and publishing, her latest book Feeding Creativity, published by TASCHEN is a unique hybrid coffee table, portrait and recipe book, featuring favourite recipes for friends, family, and members of the creative community.


Follow @MaryMcCartney


Double Exposure: David Bailey & Mary McCartney is open to all, and will run in Claridge’s ArtSpace until 19 July 2024. Visit: https://www.claridges.co.uk/claridges-artspace/

Thanks to Katy Wick and The Wick.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


You’re invited into a series of conversations that feel more like hanging out in a gallery after hours than a formal interview. Talk Art brings together actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament, whose shared passion and genuine curiosity create a uniquely accessible doorway into the art world. Each episode unfolds as a relaxed yet insightful chat, pulling back the curtain on creative processes and personal stories. They speak with a wide range of voices-from celebrated artists and influential curators to their own talented friends from fields like music, acting, and journalism-all of whom bring a fresh perspective on why art matters. Tuning into this podcast feels like discovering the stories behind the work, the human connections that fuel creativity, and the simple joy of looking at something familiar in a completely new way. It’s less about art theory and more about the lived experience of art, capturing those moments of wonder that remind us how visual culture shapes and reflects our lives. For a visual companion to the discussions, their Instagram is the perfect place to see the artworks that come up in conversation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Talk Art
Podcast Episodes
Edmund de Waal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:09
New @TalkArt podcast episode! We meet legendary artist, potter and author @EdmunddeWaal at his studio in South London!!We explore more than 40 years of making pots, and learn about the first major exhibition of acclaimed…
Jeffrey Fraenkel on Diane Arbus (Live in London) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:25
We meet gallerist Jeffrey Fraenkel to discuss the work of Diane Arbus, recorded live in London at David Zwirner.— Sanctum Sanctorum: a sacred room or inner chamber; a place of inviolable privacyDiane Arbus: Sanctum Sanct…
Chantal Joffe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:10
Russell and Robert meet leading artist Chantal Joffe in her East London studio. We explore I Remember, Chantal Joffe’s fourteenth solo exhibition for Victoria Miro gallery. I Remember takes its title from Joe Brainard’s…
Alice Neel Estate - Ginny and Hartley Neel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:51
We meet Ginny and Hartley Neel, Executive Directors of the Estate of Alice Neel, and the artist’s daughter-in-law and son. We explore her current exhibition in Belgium at Xavier Hufkens.Alice Neel is widely recognised as…
Katy Hessel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:33
We meet Katy Hessel to discuss her incredible new book How To Live An Artful Life. The year ahead is a gift that has been given to you. What might you do with it?Dive into the year with the wisdom of artists. Gathered fr…
Maggi Hambling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:51
Happy 80th birthday to Maggi Hambling, our guest this week! We meet Maggi in her studio to discuss her 6 decades of making painting and sculpture.Maggi Hambling CBE was born in Suffolk in 1945. She studied at the East An…
Rose Blake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:24
We meet Rose Blake an illustrator and artist making drawings and pictures in London who has just illustrated Russell & Robert’s first children’sbook Art School (In A Book). Rose Blake studied at Kingston University and t…
Damian Barr [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:49
We meet writer Damian Barr to discuss his new book The Two Roberts.This intoxicating, brave and compassionate novel from the author of Maggie and Me reimagines one of the stongest and most passionate love stories of mode…
Sean Ono Lennon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:09
We meet Sean Ono Lennon to explore his music and life with art, plus we discuss the forthcoming box set Power to the People, that Sean has produced, of his parents’ Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s 1972 fundraising live New Yo…
Marco Falcioni (Creative Director of BOSS) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:47
This episode is a special partnership with BOSS. Special episode recorded in Milan, September 2025. #ADRussell meets Marco Falcioni, Creative Director of HUGO BOSS. We discuss the Art Basel Awards which BOSS have been pa…