Exhibition: Living Dangerously opened

[Tim King]

'Living Dangerously' - The Terence Spencer Photographic Exhibition is the first such show at the newly launched £10m Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery in the heart of the town's historic centre. The Museum is based in the former Music Hall which was the town's principal entertainment venue from 1840 to 2009 and saw many musical acts including The Beatles in 1962/3. Now the Fab Four are back with some beautiful images taken by Terence Spencer when he followed the band around for four months in 1963.

Terence Spencer's work covers wars in Vietnam and the Congo, personalities such as Princess Grace, filmstars like Ava Gardner, John Mills, Richard Chamberlain, Rex Harrison and politicians such as Edward Heath, Tony Benn and Margaret Thatcher.

Terry's photos are supplemented by those of other rock photographers such as Jill Furmanovsky which have been kindly loaned by Rockarchive and feature Oasis, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney and George Martin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Jimi Hedrix and Amy Winehouse.

The Exhibition was launched on Friday 18th July by his daughter Cara who lives near Shrewsbury and is the custodian of her late father's extensive archive. Photos are licensed via Camera Press and more information about the archive can be found at http://terencespencerphotoarchive.net

The exhibition is in the main gallery on the first floor which has large windows giving excellent views of The Square and the 1596 Old Market Hall, now a cinema and cafe bar.

The Museum & Art Gallery is in the heart of Shrewsbury's medieval town centre and tells the history of the town from its Roman origins at Wroxeter through The Industrial Revoloution to modern manufacturing.

Admission to the whole Museum & Art Gallery including the Exhibition costs £4 for adults and £2 for children.

www.shrewsburymuseum.org.uk