Of course, that’s not the point of this exhibition, organised by an institution that has always prioritised celebrity over art. McCartney’s images might be blurry, but what they do offer us – which few others could – is an unguarded view of life as a newly minted international superstar.
Other people and places are glimpsed, more often than not, through the window of a chauffeured car or plane. Cameras and crowds are everywhere.
And through it all, The Beatles keep working – and playing. Who else could have got the shot of Ringo Starr looking bored and weary, backstage before a show in Liverpool? Or of John Lennon grinning goofily, arms outstretched and mop-top slick with water, in a pool in Miami? Somehow, the ordinariness of these photographs is also the most remarkable thing about them.
From tomorrow until Oct 1. Tickets: npg.org.uk
