A new exhibition is bringing together the work of legendary music photographers Bob Gruen and Leee Black Childers. Legendary Moments shines a light on some of the most iconic pictures in punk and rock history. The exhibition also features never-before-seen photos amidst a plethora of images of some of the most iconic musical characters of the 1970s.
On display at Legendary Moments
Moving from established names to punk upstarts, Legendary Moments burrows into the seedy underground of London and downtown New York. A time when anything felt possible, when every band felt like they could make it big, Childers and Gruen were right in the midst of it all. They were able to peel back the outside bravado of some already massive stars, and those who would become larger-than-life icons. Among those featured in the photographs on display are Alice Cooper, Salvador Dali, The New York Dolls, The Ramones, The Clash, Debbie Harry, John Lennon, and more.
Notably, much of the work on display from Childers is being unveiled for the first time at the exhibition. Legendary Moments curator, Stephen Colegrave, and Smutty Smiff combed through thousands of film negatives from the late artist. Among the discoveries were rare early photos of Debbie Harry, extremely early photos of Michael Jackson on the drums for the Jackson Five, and “the only shots in existence of the Sex Pistols on stage in Manchester and Leeds during their notorious “Anarchy” tour”.
The spirit of collaboration and reinvention
Paying tribute the constantly evolving spirit of the scene, several artists have been invited to reinterpret the works on display. London-based contemporary artists ENDLESS, Hackney Dave, Rugman, Craig Keenan, and others, have instilled fresh dialogue into the conversation and exhibitions.
You’re sure to walk out of the exhibition raring to smash guitars and enact your wildest rock star fantasies. Most likely the best you’ll do is pop the collar on your shirt. And then you’ll feel self-conscious after a minute, and flatten it back out again.
Legendary Moments, curated by Stephen Colegrave (co-author of Punk – A Life Apart), runs until August 19. Find it at D’Stassi Art, on Shoreditch’s Hoxton Street.