Bob Gruen

Bob Gruen is one of the most well-known and respected photographers in rock and roll. From John Lennon to Johnny Rotten, Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones, Elvis to Madonna, Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, Tina Turner to Debbie Harry, he has captured the music scene for over forty years in photographs that have gained worldwide recognition. Gruen’s style often incorporates the different ways in which the process of silkscreen can introduce variation and experimentation.

In the 1970s Gruen was John Lennon and Yoko Ono's personal photographer, making photos of their working life as well as private moments. In 1974 he created the iconic images of John Lennon wearing a New York City t-shirt and standing in front of the Statue of Liberty making the peace sign–two of the most popular of Lennon's images. As chief photographer for Rock Scene Magazine in the 1970s, Gruen specialized in candid, behind the scenes photo features. He toured extensively with the emerging punk and new wave bands including the New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Clash, Ramones, Patti Smith Group and Blondie.

Gruen's career summation exhibition “Rockers,” was presented in 2007 at FAAP University in Sao Paulo and in 2008 at Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York City. His work has been included in group exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Smithsonian Institute, and Centro Cultural Borges in Buenos Aires, among other institutions. Among his many books of photographs are “The Sex Pistols–Chaos” (1990), “The Rolling Stones–Crossfire Hurricane” (1997), “The Clash” (2004), “John Lennon–The New York Years” (2005).

Courtesy of Gary Lichtenstein Editions