Joy Division, Kevin Cummins

Manchester born Kevin Cummins became known in the 1970s for his visceral photographs of musicians like David Bowie, Patti Smith, The Sex Pistols and Joy Division; leading his career to a 25-year association with NME Magazine, for which he was chief photographer. Having grown up in Manchester, Cummins had an inherent understanding of the band as a product of their bleak environments, proving to be a vital ingredient in understanding what was needed to appropriately depict the band. What started out as an assignment quickly turned into a project for Cummins, photographing the band frequently while practicing, playing live or just hanging out. This extensive series, most of which previously unseen, has been published by Rizzoli as a 208-page hardcover book alongside an introductory essay by Jay McInerney and a conversational interview between Cummins and Bernard Sumner about the ban.