GUY WEBSTER UNCOVERED

APR. 21 – MAY 8

Rock Photography Museum
Special Exhibition Space
123 N Artsakh Ave
Glendale, CA 91206
(424) 245-0755
Map

Exhibition Hours
Wed / Thu – 11-6
Fri / Sat – 11-8
Sun – 11-4
Mon – Closed
Tue – By Appointment

 

GUY WEBSTER began his career during a stint in the Army in the late 1950s teaching new recruits how to use a camera. “They asked if I knew anything about photography. I lied and said I did… I was absolutely clueless.”

He went on to study fine art at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and then art history at the University of Florence, where he was deeply affected by the work of the great masters. His appreciation of painting was a major influence on his own work and he is widely considered to be one of the the great innovators of music photography.

In the first five years of his career alone, Guy’s work was used to create iconic album covers for the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, The Doors, The Mamas and the Papas, The Hollies, Captain Beefheart, Nico, Procol Harum, Carole King and others.

He photographed the Who at the Monterey Pop Festival, Bob Dylan at his legendary 1965 L.A. press conference, and the Beach Boys in the studio as Brian Wilson taught his bandmates “Good Vibrations.”

Guy went on to enjoy a storied career lasting over 50 years, shooting film stars, politicians, authors and fellow artists for a wide variety of clients. A retrospective coffee table book of his work, Big Shots, was published in 2014. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 79.

“I was in the right place at the right time. I was no more talented than maybe one hundred other photographers like me, but I was in the right place to do this work.”