Rolling Stones exhibit to open in West Hollywood

Whether you have been to one, five or a dozen Rolling Stones concerts, seen them in the magazines, on television or heard them on the radio; you have never seen them like this! On September 20, 2007, the very first shots of the Rolling Stones taken by legendary British photographer Philip Townsend will be unveiled at Fred Segal Mauro Café in West Hollywood, a trend-setting destination for the hip celebrity scene in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

The exhibition is curated by Francoise Lazard and Patrick Jucaud of Ideas For Films and Evelyne Joan of Fred Segal Mauro Café and includes photos taken in April 1963 around Chelsea, outside the Australian pub in Halsey Street and Marble Arch, all in London. These pictures depict the famous group before they had a recording contract and would change the face of popular music forver.

“Having the opportunity to dine and shop while discovering the first images of The Rolling Stones is a perfect example of how culture can intersect with commerce,” states Francoise Lazard. The shots will be exhibited, and available for purchase at The Fred Segal Mauro Café from September 20th until November 15th.

Philip Townsend is a well-known society photographer who worked with many leading magazines and newspapers both in the UK and abroad. His friendship with Andrew Loog Oldham, the legendary producer and the first manager of The Rolling Stones, gave birth to amazing photographs of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Gene Pitney, Martha and the Vandellas, Peter and Gordon, Jimmy Page with Carter Lewis and many others.

Ideas for Films produces unique collections presenting striking black and white photos that captured the uninhibited spirit of the sixties. Each of their collection regroups a selection of fifteen to thirty original photos that, to this day, express a unique level of insight, talent and art. Together with Philip Townsend, Francoise Lazard and Patrick Jucaud, co-founders of Ideas for Films have put together an amazing collection of images depicting the first days in the lives of The Rolling Stones.
When it comes to those first moments of the photo shoot, Philip Townsend recalls: “Andrew said ‘Make them look mean’ and men I tried to make them. Of course, they have never been photographed before so they didn’t know how to pose.”
Whether admiring the pictures from Studio 51, where they had one of their first performances, or the ones from their first TV appearance from ATV Studios, it is impossible not to see the history behind these shots, the greatness of this band that was to become one of the most impressive rock and roll bands in the world.