The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco will host RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped, an exhibit featuring the work of acclaimed rock photographer Jay Blakesberg. The exhibition opens on August 31 and will be on display through January 28, 2024.
Over 210 photographs and related ephemera from the years 1978 – 2008, a period during which Jay shot exclusively on film, will be featured as part of RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped. Attendees can view Blakesberg’s images of the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Neil Young, Tracy Chapman and many additional influential acts.
The exhibit was inspired by the Instagram account-turned book @RetroBlakesberg created by Jay’s daughter Ricki Blakesberg. The Contemporary Jewish Museum Associate Curator of Contemporary Art Qianjin Montoya curated RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped in collaboration with Jay and Ricki.
“Jay’s photography immortalized iconic moments in rock ‘n’ roll history, and this exhibition will explore not only that history, but Jay’s journey as well,” explained Montoya. “He documented San Francisco counter-culture movements following the Summer of Love, all the way through the punk and grunge scenes that emerged in the 1980s and 90s. We’re excited to share this distinctly Bay Area story with our audiences.”
“I grew up in New Jersey in the wake of the Summer of Love, reading articles and books about the music and culture that came out of the Bay Area,” added Jay Blakesberg. “My move out west changed my life and defined my career. San Francisco, where I still live, has been the backdrop of much of my work—photographing B.B. King at the Paramount Theater in Oakland to Dolly Parton in Golden Gate Park and the Grateful Dead at the Warfield Theatre, to name a few. It’s deeply meaningful to share this exhibition in my hometown of more than 35 years.”
The Contemporary Jewish Museum is located at 736 Mission Street at Yerba Buena Lane in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco.
