David Bailey's "Now"

It’s hard to imagine the 60s without David Bailey. Even if we were to overlook his unforgettable images of the decade’s superstars—from Michael Caine to Mick Jagger, The Beatles to Andy Warhol—he is still the man who personally encapsulated the period’s decadent excesses, his party-loving lifestyle and romantic liaisons (with women including Catherine Deneuve and Jean Shrimpton) making him the undisputed king of the swingers. Then again, it’s also impossible to think of a Bailey-less 70s, 80s or 90s. His work, which in the past five decades has included landmark portraits of Salvador Dalí, Princess Diana and Johnny Depp, as well as over 40 photo books and a host of graphically stark fashion editorials, has made an indelible mark on the history of British photography. At the age of 72, he is as active now (photographically speaking) as he ever was. He works, as he puts it, “probably eight” days a week. His latest exhibition of new photographs, "Now", opening this weekend at London’s Hamilton gallery, offers a glimpse into his current preoccupations—namely, skulls and flowers—carefully arranged in a series of colorful still-life images, shot with Bailey's characteristically dramatic eye.