Wembley Park and Getty Images Gallery present Heroes – The Exhibition
06 November 2019 - Press releaseA new photography exhibition exploring 60 years of The SSE Arena, Wembley as London’s iconic music venue.
Opens to the public Thursday 28 November.
Heroes – The Exhibition, at Getty Images Gallery, Wembley Park opens on 28 November
Photographs explore The SSE Arena, Wembley’s history as the world-renowned home of music and live entertainment
Exhibition includes work by famed music photographers Michael Putland and David Corio, including images from the renowned Redferns Collection
Wembley Park, North West London’s world-famous cultural neighbourhood, is delighted to announce Getty Images Gallery’s second exhibition in its new Olympic Way gallery space.
Heroes – The Exhibition opens to the public on Thursday 28 November as the second of a yearlong programme of exhibitions presented by the curatorial team at Getty Images Gallery. Sourced from the world-renowned Getty Images’ archival and contemporary libraries, it will feature over 100 photographs of artists at London’s iconic music and live entertainment venue. From The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the 1960s, to present day chart-toppers Kendrick Lamar, Queens of the Stone Age and The Prodigy. The exhibition will showcase The SSE Arena, Wembley’s rich history and the many famous artists who have graced its stage.
Key photography features performances by the genre-defining David Bowie and Leonard Cohen; the first headline rock show performed by T-Rex; the band holding the record for the most rock performances, Status Quo; Alice Cooper, who has so far performed in every decade since the 1960s; the female performer with the most performances, Whitney Houston; American pop superstar Prince, who played 35 concerts at the venue; iconic performances by Queen; and more recent performances by chart topping acts such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Rhianna. Alongside photography of era-defining concerts, the exhibition showcases behind-the- scenes imagery from sound checks to crowd interaction, photocalls and artists leaving their handprints in the Wembley Park’s famous ‘Square of Fame’.
The exhibition features the work of renowned music photographer Michael Putland, who photographed five decades of music, and both former and current Getty photographers Dave Hogan and Brian Rasic. Bringing to life the story behind the images, The SSE Arena, Wembley’s Vice President and General Manager John Drury’s personal stories and anecdotes add a personal touch to iconic concerts from its historic programme.
Presented in a variety of formats, Heroes – The Exhibition will present the venue’s musical history in a relaxed format enabling music fans to experience concerts in a more in-depth and engaging way. All photography is available to buy from Getty Images Gallery.
Built in 1934, originally as the Empire Pool, the arena in Wembley has been renowned for music and live entertainment for over 60 years. An early milestone for the regeneration of Wembley Park, Quintain’s 85 acre development of the area, the Grade 2 listed building underwent a £26 million refurbishment and reopened in 2006 with a new £10 million public square that created a focal point for the area. In 2014 it was renamed ‘The SSE Arena, Wembley’, following its sponsorship deal, which gave the much-loved London venue a refresh and brought the interior back to its original art deco roots. It remains the UK’s most recognisable stage, a place
where the world’s greatest artists shout ‘Hello Wembley!’ to over a million people a year.
Getty Images Gallery is part of Wembley Park’s ambitious cultural strategy, which builds on the area’s global reputation for sport, music and live entertainment. The musical story that started at the arena continues to evolve and grow to this day, with live music taking place across venues large and small, and plans for new studio and recording space. Each year, Wembley Park presents International Busking Day, supported by the Mayor of London, the world’s largest celebration of street performance, with over 50 artists showcasing their talent across five stages of free music and entertainment.
The strategy also includes affordable artist studios, run by Second Floor Studios & Arts, a public art programme and extensive cultural programming and events, most of which are available free of charge. Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, a new flexible 1,000-2,000 seat capacity theatre, opened inside the former Fountain Studios earlier this year. Wembley Park is fast establishing its credentials as a new creative hub for North West London, and is a Principal Partner of Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture. It recently announced the appointment of Josh McNorton in the new role of Cultural Director to lead the establishment of Wembley Park Arts, a new cultural programme that ensures leadership across commissioning, co-production, cultural infrastructure support and developing local, national and international partnerships.
Josh McNorton, Cultural Director, Wembley Park, comments:
‘Wembley Park has always been about people coming together to share experiences, and The SSE Arena, Wembley is central to this. Over the past 60 years, it has played an enormous part in the cultural history of the area and in global music history, and Heroes is a great way to celebrate this through the performances of some of the world’s most famous performers. The area has already emerged as a dynamic new neighbourhood, and we continue to build our international reputation for music an entertainment through our ambitious cultural programme, cementing our place as a destination for entertainment, both throughout our history as well as in future years to come.’
John Drury - VP & General Manager - The SSE Arena, Wembley, comments:
‘Over the past 60 years The SSE Arena, Wembley has earned its place as one of the most iconic live music venues in the world. There is a chemistry that keeps bringing artists and fans back, that feeling of connection, passion, and shared experience. Playing Wembley for the first time is a special milestone in any artist’s career and each show builds on its legendary status. That is what ‘Heroes’ brilliantly captures, the magic on stage and in the audience that could happen nowhere else.’
Amie Lewis, Director, Getty Images Fine Art Sales and Exhibitions comments:
‘We are thrilled to be involved in celebrating the long and rich history of music at The SSE Arena,
Wembley. Our unique access to the Getty Images Archive and contemporary entertainment photographer collections have meant we have been able to put together an exhibition that explores on stage photography from the Beatles to Beyoncé. We look forward to sharing this exhibition with visitors who can once again experience the moment they sang along to their favourite songs, performed by their heroes!’
Heroes – The Exhibition from Thursday 28 November Free admission
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm
Address: Getty Images Gallery, Olympic Way, Wembley Park HA9 0FJ wembleypark.com/getty-gallery
All images are for sale and range in price from £70 to £648. Please speak to a member of the gallery team in person, or by phone or email for further information.
Prints Sales Enquiries: +44 (0) 020 7291 5380 | gallery.enquiries@gettyimages.com
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