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12/2/2004

Henry Horenstein

Paul Kopeikin Gallery, Los Angeles

'Honky Tonk'

LOS ANGELES, CA ­ The Paul Kopeikin Gallery is proud to present 'Honky Tonk,' an exhibition of Henry Horenstein's photographs of the 1970's country music scene, which play unintentional homage to Diane Arbus. The exhibition runs February 13th through March 13th, 2004. A reception and book signing will take place on Valentines Day, Saturday, February 14th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. The reception is free and open to the public. The gallery is located at 6150 Wilshire Blvd., just west of Fairfax. For information call 323-937-0765.

'You go to a bar and half the people are hammered by the time you're shooting, so they're either ready to punch you or sit in your lap.'
- Henry Horenstein

'It's as if Diane Arbus found herself lost in the American South and decided to go hear some music'
- Paul Kopeikin

Taken in a time when a photographer had free access to stars and their fans, these images catch a subculture in action and contrast sharply with today's highly controlled publicity imagery. Today country music is big business. When Horenstein took his photos it was like a small mom and pop grocery store. Drunken bar patrons, music fans, and stars familiar and not so familiar populate a world of smoky dives, parking lots and concert halls. In one photo Waylon Jennings, looking more like a longhaired rocker than a country star, slumps in a chair backstage. In another, two young women stand self-consciously waiting backstage.

Educated as a historian, Horenstein was as interested in documentation and context as he was in photographic artistry. Many of the shots are candid, and all had little to no set up. As Horenstein states, 'In some cases I just walked up, asked for permission, took the shot, and left.' It is an honest glimpse into a musical and social world that no longer exists. The gallery will have copies of the recently published monograph, 'Honky Tonk' (Chronicle Books, 2003), available for sale at the exhibition.

Chances are if you studied photography anyway in this Country during the last twenty years or so you read one or more books by Henry Horenstein. He is a professor of photography at the Rhode Island School of Design, the author of the preeminent photography instruction manual, has published numerous monographs, and has shown his work extensively, including exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institute (Washington, D.C.) and the High Museum of Art (Atlanta).

Image: Henry Horenstein, 'Play for Tips'.

Reception: Saturday, February 14, 6-8pm

Gallery hours, Tuesday ­ Saturday, 11am-6pm

Paul Kopeikin Gallery
6150 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Ph 323.937.0765, Fax 323.937.5974

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