Exhibition
Backstage Pass: Rock&Roll Photography
Mirabelle Photographer, The Beatles, 1964, chromogenic print. Private collection. © Mark and Colleen Hayward Archive.
Philip Townsend (England, born 1940), Andrew Loog Oldham, 1963, gelatin silver print. Private collection. © Philip Townsend Archive.
Photographer Unknown, The Supremes, 1964, chromogenic print. Private collection. © Mark and Colleen Hayward Archive.
Laura Levine (United States, born 1958), James Brown, NYC, 1984, gelatin silver print, 16” x 20”. Private collection. © Laura Levine. All rights reserved.
Laura Levine (United States, born 1958), Susanna Hoffs, Boston, 1985, gelatin silver print, 18” x 24”. Private collection. © Laura Levine. All rights reserved.
Philip Townsend (England, born 1940), Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, 1961, gelatin silver print. Private collection. © Philip Townsend Archive.
Laura Levine (United States, born 1958), Tina Weymouth & Grandmaster Flash, NYC, 1981, gelatin silver print, 16” x 24”. Private collection. © Laura Levine. All rights reserved.
Laura Levine (United States, born 1958), Joan Jett, NYC, 1981, gelatin silver print, 16” x 20”. Private collection. © Laura Levine. All rights reserved.
Alfred Wertheimer (United States, 1929), Elvis Presley, “The Kiss”, 1956, gelatin silver print, Private Collection. Photograph © Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.
Mirabelle Photographer, The Beatles, 1964, chromogenic print. Private collection. © Mark and Colleen Hayward Archive.
The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, presents an exhibition on rock in the twentieth century through a series of iconic images of the movement’s biggest stars.
It’s one of the largest private collections of rock ‘n’ roll photos. Assembled over the course of decades and stored in Houston, Texas, the collection belongs to a fan who chooses to remain anonymous. Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography reveals the intimacy that developed between the performers and the photographers that followed them behind the scenes. These fifty artists, including Lee Friedlander, Laura Levine and Kate Simon, photographed the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, The Who, Patti Smith, John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Grace Jones, U2, Moby, Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain. According to Nina Bozicnik, the museum’s curator, the photographers would become so involved in the performers’ lives that they often became friends.
Dating from the 1950s to the end of the 90s, these photographs aren’t merely important for the history of rock, but, through their quality, for the history of photography. The exhibits aren’t presented chronologically. Rather, they focus on the individual performers, defying expectations with their originality. “These aren’t your typical concert pictures. They show the intimate side of rock and its artists,” says Bozicnik.
We see Bob Dylan, Elvis and Andy Warhol at the Factory. We see Madonna, young and innocent, already showing hints of the provocative style that would make her famous in the 80s. Björk, nude in the woods, covers herself with leaves, giggling at the spontaneity of the photo session. The photographer was Laura Levine, whom the Icelandic singer had simply invited that day to go for a friendly walk. “It’s the perfect evocation of her music,” says Bozicnik. We’re reminded that fantasy, for this style of photography, is essential.
Jonas Cuénin
Backstage Pass : Rock and Roll Photography
Until January 15 2012 at the Currier Museum of Art
150 Ash Street
Manchester, NH 03104
(603) 669-6144
Links
Contributors