BOOK:Dennis Hopper-Photographs 1961-67, Taschen Publications

During the 1960s, Dennis Hopper carried a camera everywhere: on film sets and locations, at parties, in diners, bars and galleries, driving on freeways, and walking in political marches. He photographed movie idols, pop stars, writers, artists, girlfriends, and complete strangers. Along the way he captured some of the most intriguing moments of his generation with a keen and intuitive eye. From a selection of photographs compiled by Hopper and gallerist Tony Shafrazi, more than a third of them previously unpublished, the Limited Collector’s Edition of 1,500 copies “Dennis Hopper. Photographs 1961–1967”, each signed by Dennis Hopper and published by Taschen, distills the essence of Hopper’s prodigious photographic career. In many ways this work is photography as film, a poignant narrative expressed through a series of stark images, early shots of Tijuana bullfights, LA happenings, and urban street scenes show an experimental freedom that would translate into the vivid cinematic imagery of Easy Rider and beyond. The images are accompanied by introductory essays from Tony Shafrazi and legendary West Coast art pioneer Walter Hopps, as well as an extensive biography by journalist Jessica Hundley.–Dimitris Lempesis