Richard Petterson:

Artists and Rockers

Richard Peterson: Artists and Rockers presented Peterson’s portrait photographs of musicians and artists from the 1970s to the present, including Bruce Conner, Devo, Debbie Harry, and Joey Ramone. The exhibition also included recent portraits of artists who have exhibited at MCA Denver. Pairing recent and historical work, the exhibition captures Peterson’s persistent ability to find the unconventional heroics and idiosyncratic elements of his subjects. Opening night, March 30, 2012, included a musical performance by Modern Witch with Mario Zoots, presented by the Underground Music Showcase (UMS), as well as emcee Magic Cyclops and DJ Ginger Perry. 

As a lead photographer in the 1970s and 80s for the underground magazine Search & Destroy, Richard Peterson photographed seminal figures from San Francisco’s punk rock scene. Working backstage and behind the scenes, Peterson captured some of punk’s most famous personalities as their musical careers began to take shape. In his photographs, the rockers fully embody the youthful heroism that helped shape a genre of music and gave voice to a new generation in rock and roll. For Peterson, the combination of humanity and strength identifies rockers and artists as being of the same breed.

Richard Peterson was born in 1951 in California. He lives and works in Colorado.