New exhibition documents the evolution of music photography

A new exhibition exploring the evolution of music photography is coming to New York City this summer.

Studio Stage takes over the Pace Gallery in Chelsea from tonight, 29th June, through 19th August. It’ll present a chronological journey through the past 70 years of popular music, spanning genres like New York hip-hop, European techno, UK punk, jazz and more.

The exhibition is a close look at “the ways that photographers have helped cultivate mythologies around performers and their respective scenes.” Sade, Erykah Badu, Beastie Boys, David Bowie, Fugazi, John Cage and Billie Holiday are among the artists appearing in front of the camera, while credits for behind include the likes of Richard Avedon, Janette Beckman, Peter Hujar, Jem Cohen, Hiro, Paul Graham and Ming Smith.

Find more information on the exhibition on Pace Gallery’s website.

For more music photography, check out feature on Bill Bernstein, whose photos capture the excess and exuberance of New York’s ’70s disco scene, and our interview with Alan Lodge, whose photos of Castlemorton documented the illegal rave that changed UK dance music forever.

Photo credit: Janette Beckman