Roger Mayne at PHOTO LONDON

First time exhibitor Gitterman Gallery working with returning exhibitor Stewart & Skeels, are proud to exhibit vintage black and white photographs by Roger Mayne (1929–2014) in the Source Sector of Photo London, opening with a VIP Preview on 13 May. Photo London, United Kingdom’s leading international fair for photography and image-based art, will take place at Olympia, in the heart of Kensington. The move signals the beginning of a new era. The redeveloped venue offers larger spaces for gallery presentations, enhanced visitor flow, and new areas for talks, screenings, and collectors.

The booth will feature some of the most famous images from Roger Mayne’s seminal body of work on the streets of West London in the 1950s and early 1960s that made him one of the most important post-war British photographers.

Mayne's photographs evoke a particular moment in post-war Britain when hardships brought on by the war and rationing were still present. Mayne's photographs reflect the positive community life in the streets that would soon be coming to an end with the rebuilding and modernization of many working-class neighborhoods. His images of these communities and the people: teddy boys, jiving girls and kids playing in the street, preserve the spirit of these neighborhoods.

By 1959 Mayne’s images were so indicative of this period that Vogue used them to illustrate teenage styles. Colin MacInnes used one of his images on the cover of Absolute Beginners, a novel told in the first person by a teenage freelance photographer living in West London that commented on the youth culture of the time. Mayne’s photographs were subsequently used in the 1986 film of Absolute Beginners by Julien Temple as both the protagonist’s images and inspiration for the cinematography and costume design.

Though his talent as a photographer was recognized early in his career, it was his solo exhibition at The Victoria and Albert Museum in 1986, the efforts of his long time London gallerist Zelda Cheatle, and the subsequent use of his images on album covers and concert backdrops for the musician Morrissey in the 1990s that renewed interest in his work. Most recently, Mayne became the first photographer to have a solo exhibition at the Courtauld from 14 June–1 September 2024. Curated by Jane Alison, Roger Mayne: Youth and the corresponding publication received rave reviews. Mayne’s work was also featured in Postwar and Modern, New Art in Britain 1945-1965 at the Barbican, London in 2022; Roger Mayne at The Photographers’ Gallery, London in 2017; Roger Mayne: Aspects of a Great Photographer at the Victoria Gallery, Bath in 2013; How We Are: Photographing Britain at Tate Britain in 2007; Making History at Tate Liverpool in 2006 and Art of the ‘60s at Tate Britain in 2004.