Tyler Mitchell Brings ‘Portrait of the Modern Dandy’ to Burlington Arcade

This September, London’s Burlington Arcade steps into sharp focus as Gagosian presents new works by photographer Tyler Mitchell. The show marks the first public unveiling of Portrait of the Modern Dandy, a series of images created for Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring 2025 Costume Institute exhibition.

Running from September 15 to October 3, the installation coincides with the launch of Mitchell’s debut monograph with Aperture, Wish This Was Real. For one of fashion’s most important voices behind the lens, the pairing of publication and exhibition feels like a natural progression—a merging of print, photography, and the lived worlds that inspire both.

Mitchell has long been interested in self-presentation, particularly where it intersects with identity, history, and personal agency. His work for Superfine interrogates the role of dandyism in the African diaspora, tracing its significance from the 18th century to its contemporary incarnations. In his hands, tailoring becomes more than clothing—it’s a language of resistance, individuality, and power.

The Burlington Arcade installation leans into this idea of fashion as cultural commentary. Visitors are met with Mitchell’s portraits styled against garments that embody the lineage of Black tailoring: sharp, precise, and unapologetically expressive. These are not just pictures of men in suits—they are statements on elegance as a tool of visibility and autonomy.

That Mitchell chose Burlington Arcade as the London stage is no accident. A corridor of luxury, history, and tradition, it becomes a fitting counterpoint to his vision of the modern dandy: subversive, rooted in heritage, but always looking forward.

The accompanying monograph, Wish This Was Real, expands on these themes. Across its pages, Mitchell’s lens captures the aspirational, the intimate, and the everyday, suggesting that the line between reality and imagination in fashion photography is far less distinct than we think. The book cements him as more than just a documentarian of style—he’s shaping the way we understand it.

TYLER MITCHELL

September 15–October 3, 2025

Gagosian, Burlington Arcade, London