Pete Townshend’s guitar flying through the air at Madison Square Garden and Liam and Noel Gallagher photographed during the making of the Wonderwall video are two of the remarkable images in a new City of London Corporation exhibition.

Taken nearly 20 years apart, those timeless photographs of The Who and Oasis taken by Michael Putland and Jill Furmanovsky will feature in ‘In The Moment: The Art of Music Photography’, which opens on 16 June at Barbican Music Library.

The free exhibition, which celebrates the 25^th anniversary of Rockarchive.com as a collective of leading music photographers, will showcase a wide range of iconic rock and roll images, and those who shot them.

Among the legendary performers caught in the moment during a recording session, live gig, or photo shoot are David Bowie, who can be seen on a contact sheet of photographs for his Aladdin Sane album cover, Debbie Harry, Queen, Biggie Smalls, Led Zeppelin, Lady Gaga, and Amy Winehouse.

Promising to be a visual feast for music and photography fans alike, the exhibition, which is sponsored by mpb.com, will include the photographers’ own accounts of how they took the shots, and chronicle the evolution of music photography over the last 70 years.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, Munsur Ali, said:

“We should never underestimate the ability of a photograph to stir our emotions, to amuse and indeed, to jog our memories and take us back to a particular moment in time in our lives.

“Whether you’ve attended a rock concert with one of these artists, some of them greatly missed, enjoyed listening to their music over the years, or appreciate the photographers’ patience, good fortune, and skill, this exhibition will certainly appeal to you.”

Rockarchive founder and celebrated music photographer, Jill Furmanovsky, said:

“Since 1998, Rockarchive has been championing rock photography and photographers in the UK, and it has built up an extraordinary collection of unforgettable images.

“As we celebrate not just this important anniversary, but also the talents of those behind, and in front of, the lens, we are delighted to return to Barbican Music Library to share some of those shots with everyone.”

The City Corporation, which owns and manages Barbican Music Library, has launched ‘Destination City’, its flagship policy programme that sets out a renewed vision for the City to be a world-leading leisure destination for UK and global visitors, workers, and residents to enjoy.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The free exhibition, ‘In The Moment: The Art of Music Photography’, will run from 16 June to 25 September at Barbican Music Library (Barbican Centre, Level 2 – www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/libraries/barbican-music-library) and is sponsored by mpb.com - https://www.mpb.com/en-uk 

All requests for images and interviews should be directed to Andrew Buckingham (see below) at the City of London Corporation’s Media Team.

Andrew Buckingham, Media Officer (Arts, Culture, and Heritage), City of London Corporation / 07795 333060 / andrew.buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation, which owns and manages Barbican Music Library, is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK –  www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

 About Rockarchive:

Acclaimed music photographer Jill Furmanovsky founded Rockarchive in 1998, inspired by the world-renowned Magnum Photo Agency. After nearly thirty years shooting some of the biggest bands in rock history, Jill wanted to make her work, and that of other music photographers and visual artists, more accessible for fans and collectors to own.

To launch the collective, Jill selected 30 classic black and white images of major rock artists from her 30-year archive, to make into an edition of 30 darkroom prints. Edition 30/30/30 as it became known, was the first collection from Rockarchive. Since then the archive has grown in volume and stature, and now publishes over 1000 images by more than 100 photographers and graphic designers. As well as producing and selling limited edition prints, Rockarchive also now curates and designs exhibitions for galleries and public institutions, both, in the UK and across the world.

About Destination City:

The City of London Corporation’s flagship Destination City programme sets out a vision for the Square Mile to become a world-leading leisure destination for UK and global visitors, workers, and residents to enjoy.

Find out more about the Destination City Programme here: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/destinationcity.

ENDS