August 19 - September 30, 2022
From Modern Rocks Gallery:
“East Austin-based Modern Rocks Gallery announces a very exciting, new exhibition, “Fifty Years in Exile,” featuring a collection of rare, unseen and vintage photographs from The Rolling Stones’ 1972 session with legendary photographer Norman Seeff. Photos from the late night shoot were ultimately used to produce a set of postcards which were included with the original pressing of the band’s masterpiece, “Exile on Main St.” The album turned 50 this past May and now the prints are being shown exclusively at Modern Rocks Gallery. This impressive exhibition will run from Aug. 19 – Sept. 30, 2022 with an Opening Reception on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022 at Modern Rocks, located at 916 Springdale Road, Canopy, Building 3 Austin, Texas 78702. The Opening Reception will be from 7 – 10 p.m. and is open to the public. Refreshments will be provided by Mark Shilling, CEO at Susto, who’ll be pouring a Rolling Stones themed cocktail he’s created just for the show, “Soul Survivor,” along with a straight pour of Tumblin’Dice Bourbon to complete the Exile On Main St themed bar. Media are invited to attend a private tour of the exhibition at 6 p.m. ahead of the public opening reception at 7 p.m. For media who wish to attend, please RSVP to [email protected]. Following the opening event, the exhibition will be on display Thursday to Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. To contact the gallery please call (512) 524-1488. For more information on the exhibition, please see here. For more information on Modern Rocks Gallery, please see here.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be hosting ‘Fifty Years In Exile,’” said Steven Walker, owner of Modern Rocks Gallery. “These original darkroom prints are testament to Norman Seeff’s greatness as both a photographer and an artist.” While touring as the guitarist for Modern English, Modern Rocks Gallery Owner Steven Walker found himself documenting life on the road and thus discovered his love of photography. Following his touring days, Walker managed a highly successful gallery in London’s exclusive Chelsea neighborhood dealing with top international interior designers and continued to pursue his love of rock photography shooting bands around his hometown of London. Walker soon became a published photographer and amassed a wealth of experience in the world of rock ‘n’ roll, gallery management and rock photography. He had fallen in love with Austin while touring so it only made sense to combine his love for photography and Austin upon moving to the Live Music Capital of the World. Modern Rocks Gallery is the unique marriage of his life loves. Walker was introduced to Norman Seeff a few years ago by Drew Evans of Rocks Photography Museum, an ongoing project that he is involved in. Seeff was a perfect addition to the Modern Rocks Gallery collection with his prints selling through the gallery to local interior designers and collectors alike. After diving into his archive in his studio in Burbank, California, Norman Seeff came across some unseen treasures, a collection of rare photographs from his time working with The Rolling Stones and made a number of brand new prints specifically for the Fifty Years in Exile show. The prints were shown for the first time at the Rock Photography Museum in Los Angeles with the exhibition running through July 17, 2022. Starting on Aug. 19, 2022, they will be displayed at Modern Rocks Gallery in East Austin along with a stunning collection of Norman Seeff Vintage Prints, as well as some new pieces produced especially for the show. The perfect way to mark the 50th anniversary of Exile On Main St. “I’ve always wanted to use my photography as source material for creating art pieces,” said Norman Seeff. “The photos serve as a jumping off point. I decided to use the exhibition as an opportunity to experiment. People have been very pleased with the results I think.” ABOUT MODERN ROCKS GALLERY: Modern Rocks Gallery in East Austin presents a curated collection of fine art rock n roll photography, with signed limited edition, museum-quality prints from award winning photographers, artists and designers. The prints come directly from the photographers themselves, with a philosophy to accord recognition to the art of rock photography and to help maintain the rights of its practitioners. The gallery features works from legendary rock photographers such as Terry O’Neill, Lynn Goldsmith, Gered Mankowitz, Allan Tannenbaum, Norman Seeff, Masayoshi Sukita, Brian Duffy, Alec Byrne and Jill Furmanovsky to name but a few. For more information on Modern Rocks Gallery, please see here. ABOUT NORMAN SEEFF: A former professional soccer player and emergency medical doctor in his native South Africa, Norman Seeff moved to New York in 1968 where he built a portfolio by photographing the people he met in the
streets and bars of Manhattan. These included Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti Smith, Andy Warhol and Johnny Winter. After being introduced to the world of record covers by famed graphic designer Bob Cato, Seeff’s first assignment in 1970 brought him immediate recognition. Cato used Seeff’s shot of The Band at the Big Pink in Woodstock to create a poster inserted under the shrink-wrap of their “Stage Fright” album. This quickly became a collectors’ item and overnight, Seeff became an in demand rock photographer. In 1971, Seeff was hired as Creative Director of United Artists Records and moved to Los Angeles. In the next two years, he received five Grammy nominations for cover design before opening an independent studio on Sunset Boulevard. Seeff’s photographic sessions during the ‘70s and ‘80s became legendary and attracted audiences at each session. A celebration of creativity, spontaneity and raw energy, they were emotionally engaging experiences that resulted in images that reveal an authenticity that’s unique and timeless. Seeff’s creative interaction with artists inspired him to film his sessions beginning in 1975 with an Ike & Tina Turner session. Using the photo session as a vehicle for exploring the inner dynamics of the creative process with artists at work, Seeff returned to photography and filmmaking in 1999 after a 10-year hiatus as TV commercials director. Today, he continues to capture intimate exchanges with artists and his 1000+ hours of unique filmed content is currently being prepared for release on a digital platform aimed at inspiring the creativity that’s in everyone. ABOUT SEEFF VINTAGE PHOTOS: A mutual friend suggested that Mary Ann Mattiello and Norman Seeff meet to see if there was any synergy for a possible business investment in 1999. After meeting Norman at his studio in Los Angeles about his work photographing and filming famous musicians, directors, writers and comedians, she decided to invest in Norman’s projects. The first project was forming a company, Norman Seeff Photographic Archives, LLC, in 2002, whose mission was to properly care for the entire collection of Norman’s vintage photos. The collection contains over 2500 photographs of the most influential cultural icons from the 1960’s (Andy Warhol, Patty Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe), ‘70s (Aerosmith, Cher, Rolling Stones, James Taylor), and ‘80s (Steve Jobs, Tina Turner, Billy Wilder). The photos have been stored at Hollywood Vaults and have been inventoried in a database. Norman Seeff vintage photos have been exhibited in Germany, New York, LA, Paris and London.”
Reception: August 19, 2022 | 7–10 pm
916 Springdale Rd.
Austin, 78702 Texas
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