Dimbola Museum and Galleries summer show is a celebration of the guitar genius that was Jimi Hendrix, featuring photographs by the legendary British music photographer, Gered Mankowitz.
‘Iconic Jimi’ showcases photographs taken in early 1967 when Gered worked with Jimi Hendrix and The Experience during two sessions at his Mason’s Yard studio in Mayfair. These sessions produced images of Jimi that would go on to become some of the most iconic and widely known portraits of the great musician.
Mankowitz: He needed no enhancement
Gered Mankowitz said,
“I wanted to present him as he was. He needed no enhancement. He was so overwhelmingly charismatic I didn’t want him to do anything.
“I said I wanted to shoot in black-and-white, to present him with gravitas, because he seemed so serious about his music.
“I simply felt that black-and-white was more artistic, more atmospheric, more expressive. True.”
The photographer
Gered Mankowitz was born in London in 1946, the first son of the author and screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz and the psychotherapist Ann Mankowitz. He left school aged 15 without any formal qualifications and was offered an apprenticeship by photographer Tom Blau at his famous photo agency Camera Press Ltd in London.
Gered, together with Jeff Vickers, established his first studio in Mason’s Yard in 1963, in the very heart of 60s swinging London.
Toured with the Rolling Stones
In 1964 he met and photographed Marianne Faithfull, who was managed by the brilliant Andrew Loog Oldham, also manager of the Rolling Stones. Gered started working with the Rolling Stones in 1965; he toured America with them and produced several album covers for the band.
He continued working with them until 1967, by which time Gered was established as one of London’s leading rock photographers.
Decades working within the music scene
Throughout the 60s, Gered continued in the music world working with Oldham at his famous Immediate label, and with many major artists including Free, Traffic, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces and Soft Machine. It was during this period, that Gered also worked in other areas of photography, including advertising, book covers and a brief spell of taking ‘stills’ on movies, including several weeks in Sardinia in 1967 with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on the ill-fated movie “Boom”.
Into the 70s and 80s he worked with Slade, Suzi Quatro, Sweet, Elton John, Kate Bush, Eurythmics, ABC, Duran Duran and many others.
More recently
Gered has continued to work in the music business as well as contributing to many leading magazines and also taking prize winning images for the advertising industry.
In 2016 Gered was awarded the distinction of a Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society.
In 2017 he collaborated with his old friend and artist Christian Furr to create an extraordinary collection of 45 new images called 45RPM – based on his archive.
Currently Gered has been concentrating on books and exhibitions in galleries all over the world. He is based in Cornwall where he has also been a part-time lecturer at University College Falmouth.
The Charles Hay Cameron gallery will feature complementary artworks, album covers and a sculpture by contemporary British sculptor Guy Portelli.
The exhibition runs between 14th August and 31st October. Please check the Dimbola Museum and Galleries Website for up to date opening hours
News shared by Elissa on behalf of Dimbola, in her own words. Ed
Image: © Gered Mankowitz
