MADONNA’S PHOTOS FOR THE EXHIBIT “HERB RITTS : THE ROCK PORTRAITS”

The work of renowned photographer Herb Ritts (1952-2002) will be featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s newest exhibit, Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits, which will open on Friday, Mar. 13, 2015.

Presented in collaboration with the Herb Ritts Foundation, the exhibit includes 30 never-before-seen photographs, original video footage, contact sheets with Ritts’ red-pencil markings, new video interviews and other well-known portraits from the revolutionary photographer and filmmakers’ collection.

“Rock and roll is all about defying convention, being bold in your expression and making a statement,” said Mark McKenna, president of the Herb Ritts Foundation. “In that sense, Herb Ritts himself was very rock and roll. His anti-glamour style broke the mold, ushering in a new aesthetic that influenced generations. Having an exhibit that showcases the world of rock through his inimitable lens, capturing rare, unguarded moments with some of the biggest names in music history is a first for the Herb Ritts Foundation and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the perfect place for it to debut.”

Ritts was a part of the first movement of still photographers who became directors of music videos and television commercials. Alongside Ritts’ bold portraits, visitors will see new exclusive interviews by the Rock Hall with Chris Isaak sharing what it was like to film the famously seductive “Wicked Game” music video and k.d. lang recalling her groundbreaking Vanity Fair cover shoot with supermodel Cindy Crawford.

The Rock Portraits exhibit will also include firsthand accounts from musicians on what it was like to work with Ritts, a sampling of his award-winning music videos, and interactive stations including a collection of album covers he shot. Visitors will also be able to photograph themselves in a backdrop from one of Ritts’ most famous beach photos.

Ritts photographed some of the world’s biggest music stars. He made startlingly intimate portraits that showed artists as the world had never seen them. Never-before-seen photographs of artists that will be featured in The Rock Portraits exhibit include David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Janet Jackson, Elton John, BB King, Madonna, Prince, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake and many more.