Credit: Far Out / Bent Rej & Finn Bjerre

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry: ‘Rock Art’ reimagined by Finn Bjerre and Bent Rej

Thu 6 April 2023 11:00, UK

Legendary Danish photographer Bent Rej immortalised some of music’s most influential figures on film during the 1960s after finding himself in the epicentre of a cultural revolution. As part of Far Out Magazine‘s official retrospective celebrating Rej’s artistry and cultural impact, we’re looking back at his many photography collections, ranging from his snaps of The Rolling Stones to his travel landscapes.

When Rej was 25, he was assigned to photograph The Rolling Stones by the newspaper Ekstra Bladet on the Scandinavian and German lengths of their 1965 tour. By this point, the band, who had just released their second album, The Rolling Stones No. 2, were becoming vastly popular. Rej was swept up in the rock and roll lifestyle, which he captured on his camera. The photographer became close with the members, particularly Brian Jones, whom he introduced to Anita Pallenberg. She soon became a muse to both Jones and Mick Jagger, inspiring many of the Stones’ hits.

According to The Bent Rej Archives, “So much has been written about the rebellious music of the sixties – but nothing captures the freedom, recklessness and sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll as the photography.” The 1960s were a turning point for music, art, fashion and culture. Bands such as The Stones, The Beatles, The Who and The Kinks led the British Invasion, introducing mainstream audiences to a new kind of popular music. Following a period of post-war malaise, the ’60s were swinging, and spirits were high. Rej captured the musicians that defined the period with intimacy, usually due to an established friendship with his subjects behind the camera.

“Bent’s work not only shows us portraits of legendary rock musicians from the 1960s, it also represents a rare insight into a musical universe littered with personal memories thanks to his intimate friendships with the artists,” the Archives write. Although Rej is best known for his work with The Rolling Stones, he photographed many other influential artists from the period, including American musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.

Soon after, he collaborated with Danish artist Finn Bjerre on the project ‘Rock Art’, which takes some of Rej’s most iconic images and paints them in bright colours, adding another dimension to the already-fascinating photos. A colourful outline illuminates the figures, such as John Lennon, Keith Richards, Jagger and Hendrix. According to the Archives, “The project was initiated to spark a different and more vivid experience to Bent’s black and white images. Each portrait is in an artistic way able to find a new identity and transcend its original form by the subtle use of adding colour and perspective”.

One of Rej’s most recognisable images, a shot of Brian Jones with his feet dominating the frame, is reimagined in a swathe of primary colours, including a blue guitar, red feet, a yellow teacup and a green face. The photograph was taken in his home in Chelsea during a period when Rej “enjoyed unique access to The Rolling Stones, becoming one of the band’s trusted inner circle of friends and associates, and accompanying them on their first full European outing: the Satisfaction tour”.

The collection also includes a recognisable portrait of Dylan taken in Copenhagen in 1966, with his clothing, cigarette and the reflection in his sunglasses tinted with blues and yellow.

Check out the complete collection below.