Collection containing thousands of photographs is museum’s largest archival gift ever received
Photographs on display in Iconic: Baron Wolman Images of an Era exhibition at museum and virtually at rockhall.com
CLEVELAND, OH (January 14, 2021) – The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its largest archival donation ever received, consisting of more than 100,000 images taken by Baron Wolman, one of the most preeminent rock & roll photographers, who passed away in November 2020.
“We are incredibly honored to preserve Baron’s legacy and his extraordinary collection, and are grateful for this generous gift,” said Greg Harris, President & CEO, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. “His collection, an integral part of rock history, captures the passion and energy of rock & roll’s most influential performers and immortalizes them for generations.”
Prior to his passing, Baron Wolman said: “It gives me comfort and solace, especially now, to know that my life’s work will be protected and shared for years to come. I could not have asked for a more perfect home. Perfect, too, because the Archive returns to the Buckeye state, as I was born and grew up in Columbus.”
The Baron Wolman Collection donation, acquired with the assistance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, features some of the most iconic names in rock history including B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Grace Slick, Howlin’ Wolf, Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, and many others.
“We are honored to help the Rock Hall receive this important collection by this legendary photographer and share them with millions of music fans around the world,” said John Sykes, Foundation Chairman.
Amassed over decades, the collection includes all of Wolman’s negatives, transparencies, photographic prints, correspondence and other documents, copies of his published books, and countless magazines with his images on the cover. Wolman was Rolling Stone magazine’s first chief photographer. Many of the collection’s images have never or rarely been seen by the public.
Last summer, Wolman worked with Rock Hall curators to select photographs from his collection for exhibition. The Iconic: Baron Wolman Images of an Era exhibit is on view at the museum and virtually at rockhall.com through December 2021.
Among the photographs selected for the exhibit, fans will find Jimi Hendrix onstage at Fillmore West, Grateful Dead posing outside 710 Ashbury Street, Pete Townshend performing at Cow Palace, Joni Mitchell in her Laurel Canyon home and Grace Slick at Woodstock Festival, among others. The exhibit showcases Wolman’s unique ability to reveal the spirit and character of artists, both humanizing them and elevating them. His images defined the visual landscape of an unparalleled time in American history.
The Rock Hall’s mission is to engage, teach, and inspire through the power of rock & roll, and its archives and collection are a part of the core of that mission. The Baron Wolman Collection complements the Rock Hall’s growing collection of archives and artifacts, and precedes its expansion plans, which will add additional space for its Library & Archives to house archives accessible to the public.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is open to the public daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST with advance tickets required at rockhall.com.
MEDIA NOTE: Images from the collection are available here, courtesy of Baron Wolman / Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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