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200910: Folkwang Museum A Star is Born – Photography and Rock since Elvis Presley
Folkwang Museum
A Star is Born – Photography and Rock since Elvis Presley
02.07.10 - 10.10.10
From the eyes to the ears
A few years ago, at one of his last German concerts, the guards were really tough. It wasn’t about elderly girls who wanted to foist a “sex bomb” on an even older tiger called Tom Jones. Instead, the guards gripped the photographers who, after the first officially allowed minutes for press photography, wanted to take further shots from behind the scenes at the concert. Even an older tiger takes care of his image, especially if he no longer transpires as photogenic as before.
Anyhow, in light of the abstract world of musical tones and especially in terms of the short-lived pop and rock scenes which are supposed to remain in the memory as commercial turnovers, it definitely boils down to: what’s left are the pictures. Star photography is spared the credo of the newly discovered photography of the 1920’s “Show what’s what”. Not to mention the perfected newly created supreme ‘chart-beings’ of our times, via computer programs such as Photoshop. And don’t forget YouTube, video clips and the Internet as new strategic marketing fields. All past, all over.
However, an exhibition in Essen’s Folkwang Museum nostalgically proclaims “A Star is Born – Photography and Rock since Elvis“, and looks back, supported by record covers, news clippings and autograph cards and, last but not least, by star cut-outs from “Bravo”. Above all, Ute Eskildsen, one of Otto Steinert’s students and, since many years, head of one of the most important photograph collections in the Republic, has resorted to 250 photographs to help bring back 60 years of photographic star cult to the public’s mind. From Elvis Presley in sweaty black-and-white to Annie Leibovitz’s clean creations.
Before Elvis came to Bremerhaven in his GI look, Alfred Wertheimer photographed a youngster playing the guitar called Elvis Presley in 1956: still a nobody who was looking for paper towels in a train washroom, who had a record player on his lap and listened to his own single (!) and who stumbled out of the station in Richmond, Virginia, with a portable radio in his hand: no sign of caring for his image and public relations, release for publication and exclusive photo contracts or even personal photographers who, admittedly, didn’t underestimate the classical branch – and don’t only look at Herbert von Karajan.
Since the 1970’s, the rock stars are no more different than today’s large concerns who adopt a corporate identity that is supposed to remind the public of their existence by means of certain colors, designed language, cultural assistance measures or type fonts. One only has to think of Frank Zappa’s loutish image: the rock star sitting on the lavatory – a poster icon. Salary and guise amalgamate. Above all, the record covers acted strongly to imprint the image of the stars’ photos on the mind: think about the Beatles in Abbey Road or the Rolling Stones with the Sticky Fingers zipper created by Andy Warhol: smart lads and large-mouthed underdogs, and the picture is complete. And it flows from the eyes to the ears, then to the jerking legs and upper body, culminating in a well-filled purse
It’s good to read the interview with the philosopher, Theodor W. Adorno, who, in 1969 said: "The union between protest and popular music is condemned to failure. Vietnam and slushy songs – those don’t go together”. Intrinsically, he was wrong - but we were talking about the jargon of authenticity – and that in another exhibition.
By Roland Groß
Museum Folkwang
45128 Essen, Kahrstrasse 16
Tel: +49 (0) 201 – 88 45 301
Fax: +49 (0) 20a – 8845 330
email: info@museum-folkwang.essen.de
http://www.museum-folkwang.de
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
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200910
Museum Folkwang
45128 Essen, Kahrstrasse 16
Tel: +49 201 88 45 000
Email: info@museum-folkwang.essen.de
http://www.museum-folkwang.de
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Mi, Sa, So 10-18, Do, Fr 10-20 h
Museum Folkwang
45128 Essen, Kahrstrasse 16
Tel: +49 201 88 45 000
Email: info@museum-folkwang.essen.de
http://www.museum-folkwang.de
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Mi, Sa, So 10-18, Do, Fr 10-20 h
