Through the 1960s and into the ’70s, teenage photographer Alec Byrne covered the expanding rock-and-roll scene in London. Legendary British bands—such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, the Beatles, the Who, and David Bowie—as well as groundbreaking American musicians—including Chuck Berry, Jimmi Hendrix, and the Doors—roiled Swinging London to the core and provided provocative fodder for the young, prolific lensman. Byrne’s resulting voluminous archive of rock-and-roll photos disappeared out of sight into storage for the following forty years and is offered to the public here for the first time.
Through rare live performance images, intimate portraits, and candid captures of the scene, Alec Byrne: The Unseen Archive brings the era into stunning focus, painting an evocative picture of an inimitable time and place.