Singer Paul McCartney(L), seen here with his first wife Linda in 1997, announced Tuesday he will stage an exhibition of Linda's photographs to mark the 10th anniversary of her death. [Agencies]

Singer Paul McCartney announced Tuesday he will stage an exhibition of his first wife Linda's photographs to mark the 10th anniversary of her death.

It will be the first major exhibition of her works in Britain and will span her career from the 1960s until shortly before her death from cancer in April 1998 at the age of 56.

Former Beatle McCartney said he had spent three years curating the exhibition, which includes shots of fellow pop legends.

Their photographer daughter Mary helped put together the exhibition, which will run at the James Hyman Gallery in central London from April 24 to June 7.

"An exhibition presenting the range of Linda's photographic work is long overdue, so I'm obviously pleased that this show is happening," McCartney said.

"James Hyman, my daughter Mary and I have worked on it now for three years, and the result is a sensitive selection of works that really demonstrates Linda's prodigious output as a photographer.

"The photographs not only illustrate her incredible talent as an artist, but as someone who was very much connected to the culture of the times and wasn't afraid to challenge herself or her subject."

Linda McCartney started out as the house photographer for the Fillmore East concert venue in her native New York.

Her subjects included John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Mick Jagger.

The exhibition also includes self-portraits, intimate family shots and landscapes, some of which have rarely been seen in public.

Paul McCartney married Linda in 1969. He is currently going through a bitter divorce from his second wife, former model Heather Mills.

(China Daily/Agencies January 16, 2008)