Harrogate photographer's surprise at getting the call for VIP launch of The 90s: Art and Fashion

“The invited VIP list for the opening of the 1990s event at Tate Britain went halfway around the building”

A talented Harrogate photographer has spoken about his excitement and surprise at being featured in a new blockbuster exhibition about the 1990s at Tate Britain - and mingling with the likes of Graham Norton and Grayson Perry.

It was nearly 40 years ago that Stuart Linden Rhodes began take photographs of the bar, gig and nightclub scenes of not only Harrogate but all across the North.

All this time later, his work is now part of the hot ticket of the moment in London - The 90s: Art and Fashion at Tate Britain.

The new show brings together photography, fashion, art and design, including iconic images by photographers including Juergen Teller, Rankin, John Shard, Corinne Day and Stuart Linden Rhodes, in particular his pictures of the lively LGBTQ+ nightlife scene back in the day.

These are being shown alongside the work of artists like Steve McQueen, Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, , as well as fashion film and music culture, including collections by decade defining designers Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and John Galliano.

Delighted and surprised to get the call to attend VIP night at last week’s launch, Stuart said, despite some of the early reviews in the press, the Tate Britain show was a “fantastic collection”

“The invited VIP list for the opening event at Tate Britain went halfway around the building,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic collection but the exhibition itself is a rabbit warren of rooms celebrating the art, nightlife and fashions of the 1990s, though not music.

“I was lucky to get the chance to mingle a bit with the likes of with Graham Norton and Grayson Perry, who was a very nice bloke.

“Across the crowded room, I could glimpse Donatella Versace with Sadiq Khan and actor Luke Evans - to name drop but a few!”

Such is scale and wide wide-ranging nature of Stuart Linden Rhode’s vast archives that, decades after he put in the hard yards, he has now, almost by accident, become a significant figure himself.

Many of his photographic works are now in demand from galleries, book publishers. collectors, filmmakers and community groups.

Some of Stuart’s pictures have even been added to Manchester Art Gallery's permanent public collection after being acquired by The Manchester Contemporary Art Fund.

The 90s: Art and Fashion will run at Tate Britain until February 14, 2027.