Sir Elton John photograph collection to form Tate show

Man Ray's Glass Tears will be one of the highlights of the Radical Eye exhibition

Rare vintage photos from the private collection of Sir Elton John are to go on show in a special exhibition at Tate Modern.

The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection will feature an "unrivalled" selection of images from the 1920s to the 1950s.

It will include more than 150 shots and include pieces from renowned artists such as Man Ray and Berenice Abbott.

Sir Elton began collecting 25 years ago and now has more than 7,000 pictures.

The pictures will be transported from the singer's homes around the world to London for the show in November.

He said it was "a great honour" to lend part of his collection "for this groundbreaking exhibition".

Shukov Tower by photographer Alexandr Rodchenko from 1920 is a silver print on paper featuring in the exhibition

"The Modernist era in photography is one of the key moments within the medium and collecting work from this period has brought me great joy over the last 25 years," added Sir Elton.

"Each of these photographs serves as inspiration for me in my life; they line the walls of my homes and I consider them precious gems... I hope the exhibition audience experiences as much joy in seeing the works as I have had in finding them."

Capturing history

Other pioneering photographers in the exhibition will include Alexander Rodchenko and Edward Steichen.

Some of the most eagerly awaited are portraits of major cultural figures of the time, such as the painter Georgia O'Keeffe and composer Igor Stravinsky.

The collection also includes nudes, still life pictures and news stills, documenting important events, cultural movements and social conditions, such as the crisis and hardship endured during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Also in the show will be a 1932 self-portrait by Herbert Bayer who was an Austrian-American artist known for being part of the German Bauhaus movement

Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota said the exhibition would be "truly unique".

"There are few collections of modernist photography in the UK, so we are delighted that Sir Elton John has allowed us to draw on his incredible collection and give everyone a chance to see these iconic works," he added.

"Coming face-to-face with such masterpieces of photography will be a rare and rewarding experience."

Tate said The Radical Eye marked the beginning of a long-term relationship between its galleries and the singer in order to give the public the chance to share in some of the many pieces gathered by him over the years.

The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection runs from 10 November to 7 May.