Hollywood, New York, Colwyn Bay
Dafydd Jones ( b. 1956. )
Dafydd’s father, Glyn and grandmother both came from Pont-Y-Garth in Maenan near Llanrwst. The young Jones family moved frequently. For a while they lived in Port Dinorwig, then Bangor and then Carmarthen. Dafydd’s uncle, Will, was a blacksmith in North Wales and his grandmother, Myfanwy, later lived and worked in Colwyn Bay, spending her final years here.
Dafydd is no stranger to the area and has fond memories of visiting frequently, we are thrilled to host an exhibition of his work at Oriel Colwyn.
When he was aged 11 the family moved to Oxford. Dafydd went to the local grammar school. Unlike Carmarthen, Oxford had many private schools and Dafydd saw a bit of this other world as he played in the school chess team.
He made friends with some of the private school boys and girls at a weekly church disco. He went on to study Fine Art at Winchester school of art, developing an interest in portraying the upper-class establishment. At first in paintings and then using photography.
Returning to his home city of Oxford, his prize-winning photographs of the 'Bright Young Things' at the University launched his career and landed him a job working for the Tatler magazine.
After spending the 1980s photographing the British aristocracy he moved with his wife Linzi and 2 young children to New York in 1989. He worked for Vanity Fair, Paper magazine and the New York Observer. They funded his photography and gave him a unique excuse, and the access, to continue covering a world he was inspired to photograph.
He wanted to try to show what the parties and events were really like… As he later reflected, “In England, I’d become too well-known as a Tatler photographer. It was wonderful to be invisible again”. He photographed Manhattan’s rich and powerful including a young property developer called Donald Trump. He photographed the society gala’s as well as movie stars in Hollywood including Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger, Madonna and the artist formerly known as Prince.
When asked what the difference between parties in the U.S. compared to England he answered “I never did see anyone asleep at a party in New York, whereas in London you’d always find someone dropping off. Years later, I realised: Hang on, these people were all on something. That’s why they suddenly come to life at 1 o’clock when they ought to go home.”
His images from this period captured at parties and events in New York and Hollywood – form a continuum of social commentary 1989-1999.
His photographs from the U.S. have been collected into 2 books published by ACC Art Press: New York: High Life, Low Life and his new publication, Hollywood Confidential.
Jones's photography is held in public and private collections including the National Portrait Gallery and the Hyman Collection of British Photography, London; the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol; the Opsis Foundation, New York; and the Yale Museum of British Art, New Haven.
https://www.dafjones.com/