Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years

Ramones, CBGB and the Punk Years

Museum
The Music Photo Gallery· Museum· 120 works
Installation Views
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.
Essay

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.

Selected Works

Works from this 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
From$1,400
Debbie Harry, Coney Island, 1977, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Debbie Harry ,  Coney Island, New York City, 1977
From$1,400
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
From$1,400
Joey Ramone, Coney Island, 1977, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Joey Ramone with Surfboard ,  Coney Island, New York City, 1977
From$1,400
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
From$1,400
Ramones, contact sheet, New York City, 1976, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Roberta Bayley
Ramones ,  Contact Sheet, New York City, 1976
From$1,400
Press
Rolling Stone
El nacimiento del punk, según las fotos de Roberta Bayley

An interview with Roberta Bayley on CBGB, the Ramones and the artists who shaped New York's Punk scene during the 1970s.

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.

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.

Artist
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 acces...

Interested in presenting this exhibition?

This exhibition is available for museums, cultural institutions, festivals, commercial venues and special projects worldwide. For availability, technical requirements, touring information and partnership opportunities, please contact TMPG.

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