In association with an international touring exhibition and coinciding with what would have been Bob Marley's eightieth birthday, Dennis Morris marks the first full-career retrospective for this groundbreaking photographer.

A career retrospective on one of the all-time great photographers of both music and black culture, Dennis Morris.

When we think of the trailblazing photographer Dennis Morris's work, music is right there. Morris's adventures in the 1970s reggae and punk scene laid the groundwork for a six-decade career.

It all began with Bob Marley: Morris doorstepped Marley in his early teens while skipping school and went on to capture much of Marley's tour, which launched his career as a music photographer. He later became the official photographer for the Sex Pistols, and for John Lydon's next project, Public Image Limited, Morris was art director and designer as well as taking iconic images for the band. He captured the greats of reggae and roots music, from Lee 'Scratch' Perry to Toots and Jimmy Cliff, forming friendships with many of the acts.

Morris's documentary and street photography work, with roots in his experiences as a Black teenager in 1970s Britain, bring us visionary projects that explore race, politics and cultural identity. From the miner's strike to squat protests, from civil rights organizations to pop-up studio portraits, his work was a reckoning with his new home, capturing eccentricity and individual spirits with his camera.

Edited by Laurie Hurwitz, this book unfolds in two electrifying parts: the first unravels Morris's lens on race, culture and identity in 1970s Britain, while the second pulses with encounters with music legends like Patti Smith, Gregory Isaacs, The Stone Roses and Radiohead.

With contributions from agnès B and Sean O'Hagan, the book will delight photography fans and music lovers alike. It includes previously unseen images, and is supported by an internationally touring exhibition, presenting Morris's influential work in depth for the first time.

Details

ISBN13: 9780500028377
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 272
Edition:
Publication Date: 06 Feb 2025
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 30.8(H)x24.5(L)2020
Weight (gm): 2020

Author Biography

Dennis Morris is a British photographer, best known for his images of Bob Marley and The Sex Pistols. His previous books include Growing Up Black (Autograph ABP, 2012). Laurie Hurwitz is Senior curator at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. Previous exhibitions she has curated include Boris Mikhailov Ukrainian Diary, Zanele Muholi and Erwin Wurm - Photographs.

Reviews

Unputdownable . . . There are pictures here that are as familiar as your own feet; but many others, it seems, that you're seeing for the first time, because you know you'd remember them if you'd run across them before . . . Morris's greatest talent might well be his ability to not simply capture a moment in time, but also the very mood of the people he is photographing.-- "Goldmine" (2/26/2025 12:00:00 AM)