Vue Privée is excited to announce, “Rock Re-Awakens”, which will be held from 22nd September till 23rd October 2011 at our centrally located [vp] gallery. This highlight exhibition showcases works by an assortment of internationally renowned photographers such as Joel Brodsky, Henry Diltz, Bob Gruen, Lynn Goldsmith, Curt Gunther, Elliott Landy, Gered Mankowitz, Terry OʼNeill, Neal Preston, Ken Regan, Mick Rock, Ethan Russell, Rowland Sherman, and Barrie Wentzell, who documented the spearheads of “rock” music in the 1960ʼs and 1970ʼs, including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rolling Stones, and The Who; creating the iconic and archetypal image of rock we know today.
At the end of the 50's, rock 'n' roll, the “rebel music” which started in the mid 50's and caused a stir amongst the youth, was as good as dead: Elvis Presley joined the army; Little Richard entered a monastery; Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year old niece and was boycotted for it; Chuck Berry got his first prison sentence for sex with minors; Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper all died in a plane crash; and Eddie Cochran died in a car crash in which Gene Vincent was seriously wounded. In short, rock was dead, literally.
The foundations of rock music found itself in dire straits. Despite massive record companiesʼ frantic attempts to fill the gaps left behind and rake in profits with good-looking youngsters that appealed to the older audience like Frankie Avalon, Bobby Vee and Anette Funicello, rock was too clean, polished, calculated and hollow.
Out from that void, came the 60ʼs, the decade synonymous with new radical and subversive events in politics and culture. The world was in chaos (the threat of a nuclear war due to the Cuban missile crisis, the start of the Vietnam war, turmoil in the Middle East etc.) and people searched frantically for liberation and cried out for pioneers to (according to John Lennon) “show them the possibilities and responsibilities they all had.”
The mavericks featured in “Rock Re-Awakens”, integrated these messages of liberation, ethics and politics into their music. This music infiltrated the hearts of everyone, from politicians to high school girls. Through lyrical ingenuity, they created music that people could relate to. They sung anthems of hope and danced to the beat of aspiration, exclaiming slogans like “Make Love, Not War” together with John Lennon.
They created a new culture, and we, Vue Privée, dedicate this exhibition to them and the photographers who helped immortalize this moment in history. The result still lingers in todayʼs music and society with revivals on the big screen from “Across the Universe” to “Iʼm Not There”.
The subjects in the photographs may be icons, but the photographs themselves are just as iconic. The exhibition features momentous photographs - on-stage, off-stage / lifestyle, and portraits - of eminent rock bands who played a pivotal role in contributing to the history of music and culture, which include The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rolling Stones, and The Who. Furthermore, limited edition gallery-quality lifestyle items will be exhibited from the “Pink Floyd Platinum Collection”.
Amongst these photographic legends and first public debut of selected images, is the exalted three-times Lucie award winner, Eddie Sung. On view will be a dedicated space to the internationally acclaimed Singaporean rock photographer, who has captured celebrities in action such as BB King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Lady Gaga and Slash to name a few as well as shooting Blondie and Slip Knotʼs latest album cover, who will be showcasing some of his more recent works of some of the top current music celebrities.
About the Photographers
Joel Brodsky (USA):
Grammy nominee and Brooklyn native Joel Brodsky made his name creating album covers for the likes of Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin. At a time where album covers were the only visual representation of artists, Joel played a key role in forging these musiciansʼ public image. Joel shot well over 400 covers within an eight-year period, among the last of his album photo sessions was the first Kiss cover in 1975.
Henry Diltz (USA):
Co-founder of the “Morrison Hotel Gallery” and the official photographer of Woodstock, Monterey and Miami Music Festivals. Henry made his name synonymous with rock photography as a musician himself in the Modern folk Quintet armed with a $20 dollar camera. Being a musician himself, he managed to capture the image of the rock lifestyle with unparalleled allure.
Bob Gruen (USA):
Close friend, confidante and photographic scribe of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Bob is eternally revered by the world for his truthful portrayal of John Lennonʼs New York period. Bob is one of the most well-known and respected “rock & roll” photographers around. By the mid 1970ʼs he was already regarded as one of the foremost documenters of the scene working with major stars such as Tina Turner, and The Rolling Stones.
Lynn Goldsmith (USA):
From venerated television producer, avant-garde recording artist to cutting-edge photographer at 23, Lynn Goldsmith often sees herself with an unfixed and larger than life identity. In that same manner, she masterfully manipulates the most mundane of details like the feet of The Beatles, to produce extraordinary images that encompass the entire emotion and character of her subjects.
Curt Gunther (Germany):
Born in Berlin, Germany, and moved to the United States in the 1940ʼs to kick start his career, Curtʼs images have been seen in numerous publications throughout the world. Being friends with the Beatles original press manager, Curt is best known for the candid snapshots he took travelling with The Beatles, revealing their most intimate and frolicsome moments during their 1964 tour.
Michael Joseph (South Africa):
Interesting takes on the Vietnamese war led Michael Joseph to a slew of advertising assignments and his reputation as a serious photographer. In 1968 Michael was invited to shoot the photographs for the Beggars Banquet with the Rolling Stones. Brilliant compositions and unparalleled attention to detail made these immortalized the timeless images and make Michael a highly sought after photographer.
Elliott Landy (USA):
Rebel photographer Elliott Landy started off with the anti-Vietnam war movement and the underground music scene at his home in 1960s Woodstock, New York. Ingenious concert shots of idols like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Richie Havens etc. landed him the role as the official photographer of Woodstock 1969. Thus, spearheading him into photography rockstardom.
Gered Mankowitz (UK):
At 15, Gered left the British education system to be a photographerʼs apprentice. In 1965, he met, shot and toured with The Rolling Stones to shoot images for their albums. After setting up his studio, he quickly gained fame by shooting music royalty like Jimi Hendrix and Elton John. He now contributes regularly to The Sunday Times Magazine and Mojo magazine.
Terry OʼNeill (UK):
An unexpected job as an airline photographer and an equally unexpected shot of R.A. Butler made Englishman Terry OʼNeill an unexpected photographer for The Daily Sketch. His reputation developed as he expertly revealed the ordinariness of his subjects to create vulnerable and beloved images of the worldʼs greatest rock musicians and celebrities.
Neal Preston (USA):
With a career spanning 4 decades starting in Los Angeles and touring the world with Led Zeppelin, the Who and Queen; Nealʼs photographs have endured ripping, tearing and cutting to land on the walls of rock fans all around the world. Be it eased portraits or intense concert stills, Neal possesses an uncanny ability to capture the very crux of the moment.
Ken Regan (USA):
Ken Regan, once a promising and record-breaking athlete, started off as a sports photographer and photojournalist for magazines like Newsweek and Time. In the 60s he moved to capture the same passion and energy in rock and rolls most influential performers. The photographer of choice for many of musicʼs historical events and tours with Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones granted him access to the shaded personal side of musicʼs brightest stars.
Mick Rock (UK):
Mick Rock might be known as “The Man Who Shot the Seventies” but his contributions to rock photography in the 60s is equally paramount. His photographic genius gave the Queen II cover and eventually inspired the music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody”. After shaping the image of music in the 60s and 70s, Rock still almost singlehandedly shaped the images of todayʼs musicians like Lady Gaga, MGMT and Daft Punk.
Ethan Russell (USA):
Ethan Russell moved to the U.K. straight after graduation to be a writer; a chance encounter with Mick Jagger put him on the road to become one of the foremost rock photographers in the world. The only photographer to have shot album covers for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who, Ethanʼs lenses strip their subjects off all guards to expose the spirit within.
Rowland Schermann (USA):
From a sheepherder to his first photographic jobs as a dark room assistant and peace corps photographer, Rowland found little peace sitting next to Bobby Kennedy during his presidential campaign and after his Grammy Award in 1968 for a Bob Dylan album cover. With magazine covers in LIFE, National Geographic, Time and Playboy, Rowland is versatile, exciting and a true rock star himself.
Eddie Sung (Singapore):
Upon peaking the summit of his career as a corporate Head Honcho, Singaporean Eddie Sung decided to go through a sort of artistic baptism, to answer his calling as a rock photographer. He has since published three photography books, opened a private gallery and started eddiesung.com. Internationally celebrated and winner of the top three prizes in the Non-Professional Music category at the Lucie Awards in 2006, his images have electrified the pages of dozens of magazines and album covers, the latest being Blondie's "Panic of Girls" album.
Barrie Wentzell (UK):
In 1961, the company Barrie Wentzell worked for folded. The jobless Barrie took up a job in a photo studio and quickly climbed the ranks and started work at BBC where he met back then the young Diana Ross. After shooting Diana a couple of times, he landed a Chief Photographer job at Melody Maker and started to shoot big names like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan.
Notes: Eddie Sungʼs works will be on view from September 22 – October 9, 2011.
