top of page

Vintage Photographs | PHOTO LONDON 2019Selected works

Screen%20Shot%202020-01-30%20at%2012.25_

Among the leading selected galleries worldwide, The Music Photo Gallery featured Rock Seen: Vintage Photographs by Bob Gruen at the booth F12 - Main section. This show presented a selection of Bob’s rarely seen vintage prints chronicling the music scene from the 1960s and 70s until the present. Starting with a rare image of Bob Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 to touring with Ike and Tina Turner in 1971 and then on to the early days at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City where he made classic images of Blondie, The Ramones, The New York Dolls, Suicide, DEVO, Television and Lou Reed, Bob has captured some of the most memorable photographs of rock and roll’s icons and iconoclasts. 

The selected works for the show ventures beyond the New York rock and punk scene with an extensive look at Bob’s photographs of seminal bands from the first wave of British punk. The show includes incredible images of the Sex Pistols and The Clash who brought an aggressive attitude and new rebellious image to the rock scene. Bob’s image of Sid Vicious with Hot Dog is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery London. Bob became friends with The Clash, toured with the band and even played a Cavalry Charge on bugle to open shows at Hammersmith Odeon and their shows at Bonds in Times Square. 

There are portraits and candid shots of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon and images of The Clash performing live. There are some of Bob’s classic images of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin performing in stadiums filled with audiences who witnessed the attitude, passion and raw energy of artists like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page whose names are synonymous with rock and roll. 

Alongside to the photographs that capture the raw edge of rock, the show also includes touching photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who Bob worked with closely as their personal photographer from 1972 until Lennon’s death. He captured not only their working life but many private moments as well. His iconic image of John Lennon wearing a New York City T-Shirt is part of the permanent collection of The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Yoko Ono writes that “Bobs magical photos ... present a kaleidoscope of John’[s]...New York Period. It is beautiful, clear, and truthful. I know, I was there.” 

As chief photographer for Rock Scene magazine and an active freelancer for magazines like Creem, Melody Maker and Rolling Stone, Bob’s photographs have appeared on the covers and filled the pages of many of these seminal publications; capturing the whole scene, on stage, offstage, on tour, at parties, at play, at home and relaxing. It’s all here, the look, the feel, the magic that’s Rock and Roll.

Installation views

Featured Works

ledzep2.jpg

Led Zeppelin - In Front of Plane
NY 1973

Silver Gelatin Print
8 inch x 10 inch Double Weight Fiber

Printed 1980

lezzep.jpg

Jimmy Page - Double Neck Guitar
MSG, NYC 1975

Silver Gelatin Print
7 1/2 inch x 9 1/2 inch Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1977

Rolling Stones | Selected works

BOB GRUEN

The Rolling Stones Collection 

Gelatin Silver Vintage and late Prints

kiss3.jpg

BOB GRUEN

Kiss & Godzilla Tokyo, Japan 1978

Silver Gelatin Print
7 1/2 inch x 9 3/4 inch Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1979

kiss4.jpg

BOB GRUEN

Kiss - Dressed To Kill
West 23rd Street and 8th Avenue in NYC, 1974

Silver Gelatin Print
8 inch x 10 inch Double Weight Fiber

c. 1980's no stamp

John Lennon & Yoko Ono | Selected works

John Lennon Collection 

Gelatin Silver Vintage and late Prints

C-50_DavidBowie_BoxingGloves_1974_Gruen.

BOB GRUEN

Alice Cooper - Leopard Boots MSG, NYC
1973

Silver Gelatin Print 8 inch x 10 inch Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

alice2.jpg

BOB GRUEN

Alice Cooper & Salvador Dali - Brain Of A Popstar
NYC 1973

Silver Gelatin Print
8 inch x 10 inch Double Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

alice.jpg

BOB GRUEN

Alice Cooper with Salvador Dali
NYC 1973

Silver Gelatin Print 8 inch x 10 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

Joe Strummer / The Clash | Selected works

BOB GRUEN

The Clash Selection 

Gelatin Silver Vintage and late Prints

gorra.jpg

Tina Turner at supermarket

Los Angeles, CA 1971

Silver Gelatin Print

8 inch x 10 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

Tina Turner - Live/Multiple Image
Honka Monka Club, NYC 1970

Silver Gelatin Print

8 inch x 10 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

tina.jpg
sex.jpg

Joan Jett - Sex Shirt
Sunset Marquis Hotel, Los Angeles, CA 1976

Silver Gelatin Print 8 inch x 10 inch
Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

mina.jpg

Suzi Quatro - Live The Bottom Line

NYC 1974

Silver Gelatin Print
7 5/8 inch x 7 5/8 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1974

Sex Pistols | Selected works

Sex Pistols Selection 

Gelatin Silver Vintage and late Prints

dylan.jpg

Bob Dylan. Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI 1965
Very rare vintage piece, printed in 1965
Size 8 x 10 inch. (20,3 x 25,4 cm.) 

Silver Gelatin

Single Weight Fiber.

Stamp & Signed by the artist

chuck.jpg

Chuck Berry - On Stage/Kissing Guitar
MSG, NYC 1971

Silver Gelatin Print

7 inch x 9 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1979

GUITAR.jpg

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders
Hammersmith Odeon, London, England 1979

Silver Gelatin Print
7 3/4 inch x 9 3/4 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980

marley.jpg

Bob Marley - On Stage Central Park, NYC 1975

Silver Gelatin Print

8 inch x 10 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

elvis.jpg

Elvis Costello - Leaning On Pole
100 Club, London, England 1977

Silver Gelatin Print
7 1/2 inch x 9 1/2 inch Single Weight
Printed 1977

tipo2.jpg

Alan Vega of Suicide with arm up
England 1978

Silver Gelatin Print
8 inch x 10 inch Double Weight Fiber

Printed 1980

sombrero.jpg

Keith Moon - Mad Hatter Carnegie Hall, NYC
1971

Silver Gelatin Print
8 inch x 10 inch Double Weight Fiber

Printed 1980

tipo4.jpg

Lou Reed & Barbara Hodes - Cross Haircut
Bottom Line, NYC 1974

Silver Gelatin Print

8 inch x 10 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1980's

tipo3.jpg

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo on stage. NYC 1978

Silver Gelatin Print
7 1/4 inch x 9 1/2 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1978

elton.jpg

Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Carnegie Hall, New York City 1976

Silver Gelatin Print
7 3/4 inch x 9 3/4 inch

Single Weight Fiber

Printed 1976

Ramones | Selected works

Ramones Selection 

Gelatin Silver Vintage and late Prints

logo.png
Screen%20Shot%202020-01-30%20at%2012.25_
email.png
whatsapp.png
bottom of page