Roberta Bayley is one of the seminal photographers of the New York punk movement.
After moving to New York in 1974, Bayley began working at CBGB, the legendary club that became the epicenter of the emerging punk scene. As chief photographer for Punk magazine—the publication that gave the movement its name—she created many of the photographs that came to define the visual identity of punk from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s.
Her photograph of the Ramones taken in New York in 1976 became the cover of the band's debut album and remains one of the most recognizable album cover photographs in the history of rock music.
Throughout her career, Bayley photographed many of the artists who transformed popular music, including the Ramones, Blondie, Debbie Harry, Richard Hell, Television, Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, The Damned, The Dead Boys, X-Ray Spex, Squeeze, Ian Dury, Nick Lowe, and the reunited New York Dolls. Her photographs have appeared in countless books and publications devoted to punk and have been exhibited internationally in New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Sydney, Paris, Austin, Portland, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, and Pittsburgh.
The Music Photo Gallery is honored to represent Roberta Bayley and to present a carefully curated selection of gelatin silver and chromogenic prints produced by the artist from her original negatives. Each photograph is individually signed, inscribed, and stamped by Roberta Bayley, and is accompanied by The Music Photo Gallery's certificate of authenticity.