28 July, 5 October 2022.
A truly multi-talented artist, Andy Summers (*1942, Blackpool, UK) has made his love of music and photography his vocation for more than 40 years. Summers worked as a beach photographer when still in his teens for pocket money. In 1979, while on tour with his band The Police, he picked up photography once more. Summers was able to capture the wild excitement of the concertgoers, the vibrant locations visited during the tour, and the midnight adventures. Quickly, his images developed into “a cool visual companion to the music.”
We travel with the multidisciplinary artist in this show on his trips from the Bolivian Altiplano to the congested streets of Tokyo. He catches amazing moments that fade into the night or disappear in an instant with a good eye for surrealistic nuances. With a comprehensive visual diary spanning minimalistic compositions and intensified storylines in black and white, Summers takes us closer to his vision.
The second featured series brings the renowned band The Police to life for us. As a guitarist who joined in 1977, Summers helped the band—which also included Sting and Stewart Copeland—become one of the most important representatives of the British New Wave. Summers brings us on stage, behind the scenes, on the tour bus as the countryside passes by, and while taking real-life breaks in between performances.
In addition to his autobiographical film, Can’t Stand Losing You, Andy Summers has published four photography books – Throb (1983), Light Strings (2004), I’ll Be Watching You (2007), and Desirer Walks the Street (2009) – as well as the memoir One Train Later (2006), and the short story collection Fretted and Moaning (2021).
After The Police disbanded in 2008, Summers continued his solo career. His Leica M4-2, which was recommended to him by his close friend Ralph Gibson, remains his constant companion.
Parallel to his photography exhibitions planned throughout Europe, Andy Summers will tour Europe in 2022/2023 with his multimedia show Harmonics of the Night.
The Ernst Leitz Museum Wetzlar
Am Leitz-Park 6
35578 Wetzlar, Germany
www.ernst-leitz-museum.com