War Photographer's Peaceful Finale: McCullin's Roman Obsession Unveiled in Bath
Sir Don McCullin, the legendary photojournalist celebrated for his harrowing black-and-white depictions of global conflict and social hardship, is preparing to present a strikingly different side of his artistic vision. A major new exhibition opening this week at the Holburne Museum in Bath will showcase his previously unseen photographs of ancient Roman sculptures, offering a profound counterpoint to the work that made him famous.
A Contemplative Swansong After Six Decades
The exhibition, titled Don McCullin: Broken Beauty, represents what the 90-year-old artist describes as his final photographic project. In a candid reflection, McCullin revealed to the Guardian that this Bath showcase, followed by one last trip to photograph statues in the Vatican, will mark the end of his remarkable six-decade career. "I'm too old to work now," he stated. "After 60-odd years, I'm slightly tired of it all, really. I'm going to do this one last visit... and then I'm going to basically give up photography because I'm just simply physically too old. Your body, in a way, has the final say."
From Battlefields to Museums: An Unexpected Journey
McCullin's fascination with Roman antiquity began unexpectedly during the 1970s, when he travelled to North Africa with the writer Bruce Chatwin and found himself captivated by the region's ancient ruins. Following Chatwin's death in 1989, McCullin experienced a creative epiphany. "I had this flashback of Bruce and me in this Roman town," he recalled, prompting him to propose a book on Roman cities to his publisher. Although met with limited enthusiasm, the project eventually materialised as Southern Frontiers: A Journey Across The Roman Empire, allowing McCullin to step decisively outside his established comfort zone.
In recent years, he has quietly pursued this passion, gaining special access to museums across the United States and Europe, often photographing sculptures in the serene emptiness before or after public hours. The Holburne exhibition will be the first opportunity for UK audiences to view these contemplative images, which are characterised by their dramatic, jet-black backgrounds—a stylistic signature McCullin attributes to his own inner landscape. "I think it's part of my soul, really," he mused. "There's a dark side of me because of the war and the tragedy."
Broken Beauty: Resilience and Vulnerability in Dialogue
Chris Stephens, Director of the Holburne Museum, expressed immense pride in hosting the debut of these photographs. The exhibition design intentionally places the serene, fragmented Roman statues in direct conversation with McCullin's most iconic and distressing war imagery from Vietnam, Cyprus, and Northern Ireland. "Around them, we've got a constellation of his work representing his key projects," Stephens explained. "One of the things we want to emphasise is that however horrific the subject matter, he's got this amazing empathy, and draws out the humanity of the people he's photographing."
Stephens further reflected on the deeper resonance of McCullin's statue photographs, noting their exploration of endurance and fragility. "It's a reflection of the resilience of these things. They're 2,000 years old and they're still there, but they are in ruins and the sculptures are broken and damaged. They're resilient but vulnerable and a reminder that civilisations come and go." He also praised the technical mastery evident in the images' profound black backgrounds, describing them as having an "almost physical quality" and "phenomenal" intensity.
Rejecting the 'War Photographer' Label
Throughout his career, McCullin has resisted being narrowly defined by his conflict photography. "I'm a photographer the way somebody who would paint pictures would be called an artist," he asserted. "I went out of my way to show that I was capable of photographing the English landscape and objects of beauty. I haven't stayed in one mindset. I've moved around with my thinking and I'm capable of doing all kinds of photographic things." This Bath exhibition serves as a powerful testament to that artistic range and restless curiosity.
A Quiet Retirement Amongst the Dahlias
With his final Vatican pilgrimage on the horizon, McCullin is already looking ahead to a peaceful retirement in Somerset, where he plans to devote his energy to horticulture. "I've got a wonderful garden here," he shared. "I grew some dahlias last year and some tomatoes and I think I'm going to have another go this year and really expand my thrill of growing things." It is a fitting, pastoral conclusion for an artist who has spent a lifetime documenting both the fragility and fortitude of the human condition.
Don McCullin: Broken Beauty runs at the Holburne Museum in Bath from 30 January until 4 May 2026.
