Nikon UK Press Release

Nikon is pleased to sponsor Cover Story: The History of The Sunday Times Magazine Cover 6th September – 1st October 2006

Wednesday July 12, 2006 - Since its launch 44 years ago, The Sunday Times Magazine has consistently showcased the cream of international photojournalism and illustration. Selected from over 2,000 editions, Cover Story at Proud Camden will exhibit the covers that shocked, awed and entertained generations of readers. The Sunday Times Magazine has commissioned many of the most important photojournalists, from Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and Eve Arnold to Don McCullin, Tom Stoddart and Terry O’Neill, and has repeatedly nurtured young talent, helping to influence the careers of David Bailey, Brian Duffy, Terence Donovan, Alan Parker, David Puttnam and Ridley Scott. These are just some of the names who have contributed to the peerless archive of classic cover images that appear in Cover Story. The exhibition at Proud features a series of celebrated Sunday Times Magazine covers, and embraces a range of visual styles, from Alan Aldridge’s classic Automania, the 1965 illustration of a Mini Cooper contrasting the lifestyles of boy racer and suburban housewife, to Don McCullin’s 1968 photo essay that revealed, effectively for the first time in the western press, the doubt faced by US troops over the legitimacy of war in Vietnam.

COVER STORY, THE HISTORY OF THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE COVER @ PROUD CAMDEN
Date: 6th September – 1st October 2006
Address: Stables Market, The Gin House, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8AH
Times: 10am – 7pm Mon-Thursday; 11am – 6pm Friday-Sunday
Entrance: Free
Website: www.proud.co.uk
Interviews: Interview Opportunities with Robin Morgan, Editor, Sunday Times Magazine

Background
Cover Story at Proud Camden includes images from The Sunday Times Magazine’s early years in the 1960s, when a sceptical Fleet Street questioned The Sunday Times for venturing into the unknown territory of mass colour publishing, and the Magazine began its journalistic and photographic coverage of all aspects of modern life, from science and art to fashion, politics and warfare.

The exhibition reflects how, through the 1970s, 80s and 90s and into the 21st century, The Sunday Times Magazine has maintained its position as a cultural phenomenon with high-quality investigative journalism and in-depth interviews. It remains a great critical and popular success, with a regular readership of 3 million readers and a raft of industry awards.

The Sunday Times Magazine has a unique legacy in the world of publishing. Having built the reputations of writers such as Jilly Cooper, artists such as Fluck and Law, and some of the most acclaimed photographers of the last half-century, its influence extends far beyond the confines of its pages.

Quotes
Robin Morgan, Editor, The Sunday Times Magazine: “A good, original and insightful story is universal; well researched, well written and well displayed it captures the interest. Our weekly aim is to compel the reader to commit; to surprise them with unpredictable and insightful journalism, to search for and identify those stories that are not on their radar; those stories that are not on their agendas but should be. It’s about sensation, not sensationalism. Nearly three million readers, men and women, young and old, turn to the magazine every week as a matter of habit: forty four years after its launch and through paradigm shifts in lifestyle and market trends, the magazine proves that strong, well researched and original photo journalism still matters.”

Stuart Franklin, President, Magnum Photos: “Photojournalism and documentary photography are as alive today as ever - if not more so.  The Sunday Times Magazine has always been a pioneer in celebrating history in the making through great photography.” 

Tom Stoddart, Photojournalist: “The Sunday Times Magazine has a long and proud history of publishing powerful photojournalism.  Its reputation for using arresting images was built on the photo essays of such luminaries as Don McCullin, Ernest Cole, Bruce Davidson and Sebastiao Salgado.  Today the Magazine is still the publication that the world’s top photographers want to see their work displayed in.” 

Terry O’Neill, Photographer: ‘It’s been a wonderful 40 years.  The Sunday Times Magazine is the best supplement ever.”

Eve Arnold, Photojournalist: “I would not have missed a single moment of the adventure, because it was exactly that: free and open, giving contributors a chance to bring our best efforts to it…. The Colour Magazine created a high in picture journalism.” 

Alex Proud, Director, Proud Photography Gallery: “This show is a great opportunity to see images produced by some of the most celebrated artists, photographers and photojournalists of our time. It’s rare to see such a varied mix of photo content under one roof, and The Sunday Times exhibition is a unique opportunity to see such a smorgasbord of fascinating work.”

Nikon has a long heritage of supporting photojournalism, and is the proud sponsor of Cover Story. Nikon UK, is part of Nikon Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photographic and optical equipment. Nikon’s expertise in producing cutting edge products dates right back to 1917 when Nikon was originally founded in Japan as an optical company. Nikon now offers a diverse range of products from its world-renowned consumer and professional photographic equipment to industrial precision equipment.