Sleeping with Beckham

Beckham: now you can watch him sleeping

An intimate video portrait of David Beckham in bed with only himself for company is set to become a star exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery from tomorrow.


Shot early this year by acclaimed photographer and video-artist Sam Taylor-Wood, the new commission - entitled David - shows the England captain apparently asleep for more than an hour.

The film, made before the claims of an affair with his personal assistant Rebecca Loos, was shot one afternoon in a Madrid hotel room, immediately after Beckham had completed training with Real Madrid.

Beckham, 28, appears to be naked, but only his head and torso are on show. The camera has been positioned in such a way that the viewer has the vantage point of someone lying by Beckham's side.

If, as the National Portrait Gallery claims, Beckham was asleep during the shoot then he is a remarkably presentable snoozer. He neither snores nor drools - indeed he hardly even opens his mouth. He also sleeps wearing an impressive collection of jewellery. Beyond the initial interest of seeing Beckham at such close quarters there is little to keep viewers glued. The highlights, such as they are, come when he occasionally moves. It hardly compares with a matchwinning free kick.

Taylor-Wood's husband is White Cube gallery owner Jay Jopling - from whom Beckham last year bought a work by Damien Hirst as a surprise present-for his wife Victoria. Taylor-Wood admitted that she had initially been unenthusiastic about taking on such a well-known subject, saying: "He's been photographed in so many ways. We've seen him in so many magazines, on so many covers. What can you do that's new?

"I had to do something I was proud of. And not just something for the thrill of doing something with Beckham."

She added: "He's probably the most famous person in the world right now, isn't he?"

The work will be on show at the gallery for approximately a year. National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne said it "offers a compelling view of David Beckham as he lies asleep. It is an intriguing and intimate portrait of one of England's finest footballers".

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