The Ramones performing at CBGB, New York City, 1976. Original Cibachrome print by Roberta Bayley, printed circa 1990.
Museum

Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years

The Music Photo GalleryMuseum exhibition120+ works
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The exhibition

RAMONES, CBGB AND THE PUNK YEARS explores the emergence of punk rock through the photographs of Roberta Bayley, one of the most important visual chroniclers of New York's downtown music scene during the 1970s.

As the resident photographer at CBGB, Bayley occupied a unique position at the center of a cultural movement that would permanently transform music, fashion, and contemporary culture. From the club's entrance to its backstage corridors, she documented the artists, audiences, and atmosphere that defined one of the most influential periods in modern cultural history.

The exhibition brings together more than 100 large-scale photographs alongside a curated selection of rare vintage prints and original Polaroids produced during the 1970s and early 1980s. Together, these works provide an intimate and historically significant record of the people and places that shaped the early punk movement.

Among the artists featured are the Ramones, Blondie, Richard Hell, Television, Patti Smith, the Sex Pistols, Joe Strummer, Elvis Costello, the New York Dolls, and many others whose work helped define a new cultural language that continues to resonate today.

Complementing the photographic presentation, the exhibition includes immersive audiovisual installations, period music, original memorabilia, and a full-scale recreation of the legendary CBGB entrance, allowing visitors to experience the environment in which this extraordinary chapter of music history unfolded.

More than a retrospective, RAMONES, CBGB AND THE PUNK YEARS is a celebration of a creative community whose influence extended far beyond music, helping shape the visual and cultural identity of the modern world.

Installation views

18 views of the exhibition.

Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Visitors viewing the exhibition "Ramones & CBGB: The Punk Years" presented by The Music Photo Gallery at Centro Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2018.
Roberta Bayley at The Music Photo Gallery during her exhibition in Buenos Aires, 2018.
Roberta Bayley during her exhibition in Buenos Aires, 2018.
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Young people at Roberta's Exhibition
Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years
Roberta Bayley among more than 1,000 visitors at the Ramones exhibition in Buenos Aires, 2018.
Moving Image / Archive

Films & Television

Interviews, documentaries and television features related to the exhibition.

Selected works

Photographs from the exhibition.

Debbie Harry and Joey Ramone on a bed, New York City, 1977, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Debbie Harry and Joey Ramone, On the Bed, New York City, 1977
Debbie Harry, Coney Island, 1977, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Debbie Harry, Coney Island, New York City, 1977
Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, David Johansen and Joey Ramone, New York City, 1977, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, David Johansen and Joey Ramone, New York City, 1977
Joey Ramone, Coney Island, 1977, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Joey Ramone with Surfboard, Coney Island, New York City, 1977
The Ramones performing at CBGB, New York City, 1976. Original Cibachrome print by Roberta Bayley, printed circa 1990.
Roberta Bayley
Ramones Performing at CBGB, New York City, 1976
Ramones, contact sheet, New York City, 1976, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Ramones, Contact Sheet, New York City, 1976
The Ramones photographed in New York City in 1976 by Roberta Bayley, in the session that produced the cover of their debut album.
Roberta Bayley
Ramones, First Album Cover Session, New York City, 1976
Ramones, smiling during the original album cover session, New York City, 1976, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Ramones, Smiling, New York City, 1976
Selected Press

In the press.

LA NACION

El nacimiento del punk, según las fotos de Roberta Bayley: “La primera vez que vi a los Ramones, la tierra se hizo pedazos”

Juan Barberis entrevista a Roberta Bayley durante la exposición Ramones & CBGB: del caos a la cultura en el Centro Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires.

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Clarin

Roberta Bayley: con el nacimiento del punk en la lente y sus fotos en Buenos Aires

Roberta Bayley reflects on her years at CBGB and the emergence of the Ramones, Blondie and Patti Smith, offering a first-hand account of the New York scene that helped define the Punk movement.

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Infobae

Roberta Bayley, la fotógrafa que les robó una sonrisa a los Ramones

Roberta Bayley reflects on her years at CBGB and the rise of the Ramones, offering a first-hand account of the artists, friendships and creative energy that helped define New York's Punk movement during the 1970s.

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Página/12

Viaje a los inicios del punk rock

Entrevista de Yumber Vera Rojas con Roberta Bayley durante la exposición Ramones & CBGB: del caos a la cultura, en Buenos Aires.

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LA NACION

Roberta Bayley, la fotógrafa que mejor retrató al punk neoyorquino

Entrevista a Bayley dentro de su gran muestra en el Centro Cultural Borges, sobre los Ramones y la escena del CBGB.

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TN

Ramones, los secretos de la imagen que encendió la leyenda

Entrevista con Roberta Bayley sobre la fotografía de la portada del primer disco de Ramones, publicada poco antes de la exhibición.

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Ultrabrit

Roberta Bayley, testigo y parte del nacimiento del Punk

Entrevista de Fabiana Solano a Bayley durante su visita a Buenos Aires por la muestra Ramones y CBGB.

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Rock & Ball

“Los Ramones no querían usar fotos riéndose”

Entrevista a Roberta Bayley sobre la fotografía punk y la exposición de 2018 en el Centro Cultural Borges.

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CMTV

Los retratos de The Ramones en Buenos Aires

Anuncio de la exposición de Roberta Bayley en el Centro Cultural Borges y de su participación en Buenos Aires Photo.

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Clarín — Video

Roberta Bayley: con el punk en la lente y sus fotos en Buenos Aires

Entrevista audiovisual publicada por Clarín durante la exposición Ramones & CBGB de 2018. El video puede verse en la página del medio.

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Touring history
1
featured venues
  • Cenrto Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The photographer
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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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.

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