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After extending its stay in Los Angeles for a month, Seeff Vintage Photos is taking its acclaimed “Fifty Years in Exile” exhibition on the road. The first stop of a planned tour will be the Modern Rocks Gallery in Austin, Texas, where the show will open Aug. 19th.

The exhibition features 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 in May.

Seeff, who operates out of his studio in Burbank, California, became inspired by plans for the exhibit, currently on view at Glendale’s Rock Photography Museum Special Exhibition Space, and plunged into his archive to look for unseen material. The deep dive bore fruit and Seeff made a number of new prints specifically for the show. 

“I’ve always wanted to use my photography as source material for creating art pieces,” said 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.”

“Seeff Vintage Photos is very excited to take this Rolling Stones Exile Show on the road!” said Mary Ann Mattiello, director of Seeff Vintage Photos. “Next stop is Modern Rocks Gallery.  Can’t wait to meet all of the Stones fans in Austin!”

“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.”

“Fifty Years in Exile” celebrates its run at the Rock Photography Museum Special Exhibition Space with a special closing reception on Friday, July 15th from 7-9PM. The final day will be Sunday, July 17th.

“We’re very honored to have been able to help build and host ‘Fifty Years in Exile’ here at our new space,” said Drew Evans, founder of the Rock Photography Museum. “The word ‘legend’ gets thrown around a lot but it definitely applies to Norman. Mary Ann’s vintage collection is truly extraordinary and we couldn’t be happier that the show is heading to the Modern Rocks Gallery in Austin.”

Those interested in booking the “Fifty Years in Exile” exhibition may contact Mary Ann Mattiello at Seeff Vintage Photos: (818) 585-5240.

What: Seeff Vintage Photos: Fifty Years in Exile (LOS ANGELES)

Rare, Unseen and Vintage Photographs from the Exile on Main St. Sessions

When: Now through July 17, 2022

Closing reception July 15, 7-9PM.

Hours:

Sun – 11am – 4pm 

Mon / Tue – Closed

Wed / Thu – 11am – 6pm

Fri/ Sat – 11am – 8pm 

Where: Rock Photography Museum Special Exhibition Space

123 N. Artsakh Ave, Glendale, CA 91206

(424) 245-0755

www.rockphotographymuseum.com

 

What: Seeff Vintage Photos: Fifty Years in Exile (AUSTIN, TX)

Rare, Unseen and Vintage Photographs from the Exile on Main St. Sessions

When: Aug. 19 – Sep. 30

Opening reception, Aug 19 from 7 to 10pm

Hours:

Thursday to Saturday from noon to 5pm

Or by appointment

Where: Modern Rocks Gallery

916 Springdale Road, Canopy, Building 3

Austin, TX 78702

(512) 524-1488

www.modernrocksgallery.com

 

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 retumed 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.

“My fundamental approach is to not try and take photographs, but to create an authentic, honest relationship and document what unfolds. It’s all about creating the experience, because the experience evolves to the moment where whoever I’m photographing connects with their emotions and becomes truly present. The vitality of my images is a result of this process, and not trying to achieve a preconceived outcome. The challenge is to achieve the moment where the person I’m photographing is absolutely present and authentic. There is no self consciousness – they are no longer conscious of posing for a photograph.”

 

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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), 70’s (Aerosmith, Cher, Rolling Stones, James Taylor), and 80’s (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.

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 ABOUT MODERN ROCKS GALLERY

Modern Rocks Gallery in 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. Owner Steven Walker fell in love with Austin while touring as the guitarist for Modern English, Over the years Steven amassed a wealth of experience in the world of rock and roll, gallery management and rock photography. And so, Modern Rocks Gallery is a unique marriage of his life loves in his favorite city. 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.

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ABOUT ROCK PHOTOGRAPHY MUSEUM

The Rock Photography Museum was co-founded in 2018 by Drew Evans of überEDITIONS, Steven Walker of Modern Rocks Gallery, grammy-winning art director Hugh Brown and director of the Perfect Exposure Gallery, Armando Arorizo. The mission of RPM is to present rare and unseen music photography in a museum rather than a gallery setting. “Currently, the only place you can see this type of work in physical reality is on the walls of the many excellent art galleries that specialize in selling fine art prints” says Evans. “Not every photo works as fine art though and we think there could and should be a place where the public can enjoy other material from the archives of these great photographers. The Rolling Stones artifacts discovered by Mary Ann are a great example of this. The Special Exhibition Space is a prototype or proof of concept if you will. We’re thrilled to be working with Norman Seeff Vintage Prints on this remarkable exhibition.”

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