Alfred Wertheimer

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Elvis 1956, Welcome Books

Alfred Wertheimer’s photographs of Elvis Presley are a national treasure. They are a unique visual record of the most exciting and influential performer of our time. Taken 50 years ago, Wertheimer’s photographs document Elvis Presley at the pivotal moment of his explosive appearance onto the cultural landscape. After these photos were taken, no photographer ever again had access to Elvis that Wertheimer enjoyed. Apart from Elvis’s own recordings from this period, Wertheimer’s photographs are the most compelling vintage document of this musical artist in 1956.

Elvis at 21 features over forty of these stunning and intimate black and white photographs. This exhibition also celebrates the publication of Elvis 1956 (Welcome Books), with photographs and text by Alfred Wertheimer and edited by Chris Murray, owner and director of Govinda Gallery. Many previously unpublished photographs along with the author’s personal recollections document the young man who invented the rock and roll persona as we know it and would become an enduring international cultural icon.

Since 1995, Murray has presented Wertheimer’s work in several exhibitions, including his first major one-person exhibition in 1997 at Govinda Gallery and in the exhibition Artist to Icon: Early Photographs of Elvis, Dylan, and the Beatles organized in 2001 in conjunction with the Experience Music Project, Seattle.

Exhibit Photo Gallery. Click on an image to launch slideshow.
Before Elvis there was nothing.

– John Lennon

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6 responses to “Alfred Wertheimer”

  1. […] L’exposition “Elvis” at 21 ouvre ses portes le jour de son anniversaire, le 8 janvier, au Grammy Museum à Los Angeles et va ensuite voyager pendant 3 ans dans une dizaine de musées des Etats Unis. L’exposition est le fruit d’une collaboration entre le photographe, The  Smithsonian Institution et Christopher Murray de la Govinda Gallery. […]

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  2. […] Elvis at 21, Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer is a collection of over 40 stunning and intimate black and white photographs of The King, Elvis Presley, when he was just 21 years old. […]

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  3. […] features Alfred Wertheimer’s photograph of Elvis on the cover. Wertheimer’s exhibition Elvis at 21 , organized by the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition Service and Govinda Gallery, ends […]

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  4. […] Wertheimer’s photographs of Elvis are a national treasure, and stand as a unique visual record of … Taken in 1956, Wertheimer’s photographs document Elvis at the defining moment of his explosive emergence onto the cultural landscape. After these photos were taken, no photographer ever again had the access to Elvis that Wertheimer enjoyed. Apart from Elvis’ own recordings from this period, Wertheimer’s photographs are the most compelling vintage document of Elvis in 1956. […]

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  5. […] Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer, the acclaimed exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Govinda Gallery, opened last weekend at the National Portrait Gallery in Australia. Elvis never visited Australia, but Alfred Wertheimer’s photographs of Elvis will give everyone Down Under a chance to see Elvis at his best. […]

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  6. […] continues through July 13, 2014. Dancing the Dream was curated by Amy Henderson. I co-curated the Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer exhibition with the National Portrait Gallery’s Amy Henderson and Warren Perry. That exhibition has […]

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