LONDON.- The majority of Rolling Stones photographer Gered Mankowitz’s personal collection numbering over 800 previously unseen vintage silver gelatin prints of the band is on show and for sale at ATLAS Gallery from 5th December 2013 to 31st January 2014. Marking the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation, Gered Mankowitz: Vintage Stones includes the earliest surviving prints of the band by Gered, on and off stage, and documents the period 1965-1967 when they were still relatively unknown. During his career he has taken over 4000 photographs of The Rolling Stones.

The extensive collection of historic archive prints has been divided into different sub sections for display: In the Studio, Backstage, Live Performances, At Home, Recording, and Album Covers. On view are images of The Rolling Stones on their first US tour in 1965, group shots, profile portraits, images at Redlands (Keith Richard’s country estate) and many more. The work is for sale as an entire collection through the gallery, priced at £300,000. Duplicate vintage prints also are for sale individually starting at £1200.

Gallery owner Ben Burdett says: “Many prints carry fascinating marks and annotations from the time of printing. The collection also includes vast numbers of both single frames and contact sheets which have never been seen before. The offer of these prints together as a single collection is unprecedented and is expected to attract a huge amount of international interest from photography collectors, Rolling Stones fans and collectors of music iconography.”

Following an apprenticeship with Tom Blau and stints working under Alex Murray and Jeff Vickers, Mankowitz rose to fame as a ‘showbiz’ photographer in the early 60’s and opened his first studio in Mason’s Yard, Mayfair. After being approached to photograph Marianne Faithfull in 1965, Mankowitz began working with her producer and manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, who introduced the photographer to another band he was managing: The Rolling Stones. Aged 17, Mankowitz’s youth appealed to Oldham who felt it could contribute a ‘raw’ feel to the photographs, bringing the stars to life.

This introduction lead to a number of album cover shots, including Out of Heads (U.S. Title December’s Children), Between the Buttons and Got it Live if you Want it. He was also invited to tour with the band in America in 1965, during which time Mankowitz photographed the band both off and on stage. He continued working with the band, becoming particularly close with Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, until the band broke off with their manager Oldham in 1967. Throughout the 60’s Mankowitz worked within the music industry, capturing the portraits of many other major artists including Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Kate Bush, Eurythmics and many others. More recently he has worked with contemporary artists such as Oasis, The Verve, and Snow Patrol.

The ATLAS Gallery exhibition coincides with Mankowitz’s new book, 50 Years of Rock and Roll, which has recently been published including forewords by Peter York and Keith Richards. It charts Mankowitz’s incredible career capturing the lives of rock stars on film.

A number of works can be viewed online and are available to buy through the gallery.