Baron Wolman Photography Exhibit
December 2nd at Dickerman Prints Gallery, San Francisco

Baron Wolman is among the giants in rock photography. His career commenced with the dawn of Rolling Stone magazine when he and founder Jann Wenner together traipsed the streets of San Francisco, commenting on and capturing the changing musical and cultural tides. Back then, photographers had access. Well before the days of being relegated to shooting in the pit for the first two songs of a set, photographers like Wolman accompanied their subjects into the trenches, onto the stages that launched them and behind the closed doors that kept their human moments shielded from a public that personally lauded and defined their icons.

Baron Wolman has a large catalog of photography, with artists including Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, the Grateful Dead, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and the Who, many shot in their early, formative years. Stylistically, his shots range from George Harrison caught in a quiet, pensive moment reading a paperback, to Jimi Hendrix flaunting the smoldering charisma that made him a superstar.

An assortment of prints from Wolman’s 1968 collection is being shown at Dickerman Prints Gallery from now until January 15, and the opening reception was held last night. Baron Wolman was there to meet and greet, and said he was very happy with the featured photographs, which were large in size and specially mounted and displayed on stark white walls to make the images really pop. Perusing the work of one of the men who helped define the field, with other photography legends like Jim Marshall and Michael Zagaris among those in attendance, it was clear that the institution of rock photography, though now arguably diluted by overabundance and an ever-growing pool of artists, is still very much upheld. Check out Baron Wolman at Wolfgang’s Vault where you can learn more about the man, browse his vast range of photography, and even buy a print.

Like this article? DIGG it and sign up for our RSS feed!