Debbie Harry and Chris Stein in a limousine, New York City, 1978, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Gallery

Downtown New York

1975–1982
The Music Photo GalleryGallery exhibition80+ works
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The exhibition

Downtown New York: 1975–1982 brings together a selection of photographs documenting one of the most influential periods in New York’s cultural history. Presented by The Music Photo Gallery in SoHo, the exhibition explores the downtown music scene through the work of Chris Stein, Bob Gruen, Roberta Bayley, David Godlis, Marcia Resnick and Sheila Rock.

Featuring Blondie, the Ramones, Iggy Pop and other defining figures of the era, the exhibition presents a group of rare photographs produced from original negatives and transparencies. Many of the works originate from prints made during the 1990s and preserved in their original acrylic mounts.

First presented as a TMPG pop-up exhibition in New York, Downtown New York: 1975–1982 celebrates the photographers who documented the clubs, streets and creative communities that shaped the visual identity of downtown Manhattan between the mid-1970s and early 1980s.

The exhibition is available for institutional presentations, gallery partnerships and private acquisitions.

Installation views

26 views of the exhibition.

Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Bob Gruen, Marcia Resnick, Sebastian Alderete and David Godlis at The Music Photo Gallery Exhibition in Soho, New York, 2025
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Downtown New York: 1975–1982
Selected works

Photographs from the exhibition.

CBGB, New York City, 1977, photographed by Godlis.
Godlis
CBGB, New York City, 1977
Debbie Harry and Stephen Sprouse, New York City, 1980, photographed by Godlis.
Godlis
Debbie Harry and Stephen Sprouse, New York City, 1980
Debbie Harry, New York City, 1977, photographed by Godlis.
Godlis
Debbie Harry, New York City, 1977
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, Sixth Avenue, 1978, photographed by Godlis.
Godlis
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, Sixth Avenue, 1978
Debbie Harry backstage, London, 1977, photographed by Sheila Rock.
Sheila Rock
Debbie Backstage, London, 1977
Debbie Harry in leather jacket looking over her shoulder, London, 1977, photographed by Sheila Rock.
Sheila Rock
Debbie in Leathers, Looking Back, London, 1977
Bryan Ferry, 1980, photographed by Sheila Rock.
Sheila Rock
Bryan Ferry, 1980
John Belushi in a balaclava, New York City, photographed by Marcia Resnick.
Marcia Resnick
John Belushi in a Balaclava, New York City
Artists
Bob Gruen

Bob Gruen

New York City, 1945 – present

Bob Gruen began photographing in the late 1960s in New York City, where he became part of the downtown scene that would define an era. His access was unparalleled — he was there not as a journalist but as a participant, which gave his photographs a quality of presence that distinguished them from contemporaries. Hi...

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Roberta Bayley

Roberta Bayley

New York City, USA

Roberta Bayley began photographing in the mid-1970s while working at CBGB, the club that became the epicenter of the New York punk movement. Her position within that community gave her direct access to the musicians, writers and artists who defined the era. Her best-known photograph, used for the cover of the Ramon...

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Sheila Rock

Sheila Rock

Sheila Rock emerged as one of the most distinctive photographers of the British Punk and New Wave era. Working in London throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, she developed a deeply personal approach to portraiture that combined spontaneity, trust and emotional proximity. Rather than documenting music culture ...

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Ebet Roberts

Ebet Roberts

Ebet Roberts is one of the most prolific photographers to emerge from New York’s downtown music scene. Beginning in the late 1970s, she gained access to artists, clubs and backstage environments at a moment when punk, new wave and rock music were reshaping popular culture. Her photographs combine documentary precis...

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Chris Stein

Chris Stein

New York City

Chris Stein is an American musician, photographer, and co-founder of Blondie. Working from within New York's downtown creative community, he photographed the musicians, artists, writers, and cultural figures who defined the punk and new wave era. His archive offers a rare insider's perspective on the emergence of C...

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Marcia Resnick

Marcia Resnick

New York Photographer & Conceptual Artist | 1950–2025

For nearly ten years, The Music Photo Gallery exclusively represented a selection of Marcia Resnick's punk and rock photographs. Marcia was also a beloved friend. Her final exhibition took place at our SoHo pop-up gallery in 2025; at the time of her death, we were preparing a solo presentation for Paris. We continue...

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Godlis

Godlis

New York City · CBGB · Punk Photography

Godlis has been photographing New York City since 1976. Best known for his images of CBGB and the downtown punk scene, he documented artists including the Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie, Richard Hell, Talking Heads, Television, and Lydia Lunch with a street photographer’s eye and available-light approach.

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Touring

Bring the exhibition to your city.

Available for museums, cultural institutions, festivals and commercial venues worldwide, in editions adapted to each space. Contact the gallery for formats, availability and the touring dossier.

Request exhibition information