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Elliott Landy: The Spirit of a Generation
hannah frieser
Jun 17, 2019
Opening Reception & Lecture: Saturday, June 29 at 4pm
The Center for Photography at Woodstock is pleased to announce the exhibition Elliott Landy: The Spirit of a Generation featuring Elliott Landy and his seminal photographs from the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. As the official photographer of the festival, Landy documented the spirit of music, freedom and abandon that permeated the festival.
The exhibition was guest curated by Charles Guice. In addition to featuring Landy’s iconic photographs from the festival, the exhibition also showcases the political climate of the 1960s with photographs contrasting nationwide demonstrations for peace and abortion rights with the bucolic setting of musicians like Bob Dylan and The Band, who had come to live in Woodstock.
The festival, which swelled from the anticipated 50,000 attendees to a record-setting 450,000, took place in Bethel, NY, on August 15-18, 1969 and drew iconic performers such as Joan Baez, Richie Havens, the Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Band. Shooting 76 rolls of film, Landy captured the festival from the empty fields as the stage was being built to the unforgettable cultural spectacle that after 50 years still remains unmatched in its societal resonance and impact.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Best known for his iconic rock photographs from the 1960s, ELLIOTT LANDY was one of the first music photographers to be recognized as an “artist”. His work has included portraits and album covers of Bob Dylan (Nashville Skyline), The Band (Music From Big Pink and The Band), Janis Joplin (Big Brother & The Holding Company and Cheap Thrills), Van Morrison (Moondance), as well as celebrated images of Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Richie Havens, and many other legendary bands, singers, and musicians. Landy’s photographs of Dylan and The Band during the years they resided and recorded in Woodstock, and his coverage of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, which he served as the festival’s official photographer, captured the attention of a new culture seeking spiritual and artistic freedom. Fifty years later, Landy’s seminal images have become synonymous with the town, the famed festival, and the utopian spirit of the Woodstock generation.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:
Fifty years ago, on August 15, 1969, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair opened on a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Advertised as “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music," the now iconic rock festival featured thirty-two performers—including Joan Baez, Richie Havens, the Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Band—who have gone on to become some of the most celebrated artists in American music history. Originally estimated for 50,000, despite large crowds, torrential rainstorms, and muddy fields, the festival eventually swelled to more than 450,000 people, an event which has become synonymous with the 60s counterculture movement.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE AND LOCATION:
The solo exhibition Elliott Landy: The Spirit of a Generation is shown in conjunction with two other exhibitions, Woodstock Squared, an exhibition fundraiser featuring over 50 different artists, and Woodstock AIR: Altered, featuring artists who have participated in CPW’s artist-in-residence program. The exhibitions will be on view through September 2, 2019. CPW galleries are free & open to the public, Thursday - Sunday, 12 noon - 5pm and by appointment. Please note that special hours apply during the holidays. Educational tours are available upon request. CPW is located at 59 Tinker Street, Woodstock, New York 12498.
Elliott Landy — The Spirit of a Generation — Woodstock Festival
Elliott Landy's iconic photographs from the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival showcased in an exhibition at the Center for Photography at Woodstock.
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