Rock & Roll
ON VIEW
November 27, 2020 - January 10, 2021
LOCATION
231 10th Ave
New York, NY
Chase Contemporary is pleased to announce a new exhibition surveying the visual identity of the Rock & Roll music genre, with a particular focus on the English band The Rolling Stones. Showcasing vintage posters, art, and memorabilia spanning the 1960s through the 2000s, this exhibit is intended to celebrate the history of Rock & Roll while exploring the evolution of design and art as it relates to music. The installation is on view at 231 10th Ave. from November 27th, 2020 through January 10, 2021.
This exhibition will feature numerous works of art by pioneering creatives such as Ronnie Wood of the Rollings Stones, and Bernie Taupin, the esteemed lyricist for Elton John. Drawing from our vast archive of music collectibles and historic Rock & Roll memorabilia, the exhibition will feature never seen lyrics and notes by The Rolling Stones, along with rare photographs of The Rolling Stones by Peter Beard from 1972, when Beard was commissioned by Rolling Stone Magazine to document the tour “Exile on Main Street.” Also on display is a series of 14 colored drawings created for the Beatles' very first music video in 1966, a 1984 painting by Mark Kostabi used for the Ramones final album cover, and a series of small format photographs of rock music icons by Ron Galella.
From promotional posters to documentary photography, the visual history of the Rock & Roll genre and many of its most important icons is an illustrious part of music culture. The vintage release Rolling Stones posters, with their bold, block color designs and graphic nature, represent the gritty, hard sounding nature of the band they promote. Their graphics catered to the popular styles of their era, reflecting the purity of art in music, as seen in the 1978 ‘Some Girls’ promotional poster which reflects the sensual, free-flowing nature of the 1970s. The Beatles’ cells from the John Lennon/ Stephen Verona collaboration reflect the iconic psychedelic style of the 1960s, while the Kostabi painting calls to mind the grunge, underground culture of the 1980s.
