Did You Know That Elton John Had Passion For Photography

“Nusch Eluard” (1928), by Man Ray (1890-1976). Gelatin silver print on paper. 

It includes photographs such as Herbert Bayer’s Humanly Impossible (Self-Portrait) in which the artist looks amazed at having apparently removed a section of his arm.

There is also a group of Man Ray portraits of artists and surrealists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Max Ernst and André Breton, being publicly exhibited together for the first time.

In another room, there are documentary photographs from the great depression by Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.

John said collecting photography had opened his eyes to “one of the most important and progressive art forms of the 20th century”.

He said: “I want everyone to go away thinking about the artists behind these images and marvel at how they experimented and changed the way we see things forever. They were going where no other photographer had gone before. I consider them true adventurers and what they did was extraordinary.”

• The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection is at Tate Modern from 10 November to 7 May

A nude by Edward Weston. Photograph: Dorothea Lange/Tate/PA

Irving Penn’s image of Salvador Dali. Photograph: Dorothea Lange/Tate/PA

“You must understand that I live with my art collection,” John explained in a 2015 interview with online auctioneer Paddle 8. His full-time curator, Newell Harbin, is responsible for giving him tips on how to invest wisely.

Robert Mapplethorpe

David Lachapelle, American Jesus: Archangel Michael: And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer (2009). Image: Courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.