VIA PRESS RELEASE | The days of COVID have everyone yearning for a bit of fun, lots of sun, and dreaming of summers past. Because suntans fade and stay-at-home orders can’t last forever, Morrison Hotel Gallery invites patrons to ride the wave and relish in memories of summertimes yore with its latest online exhibition, Endless Summer, opening June 20th. The exhibition will be sponsored by Sports Illustrated – a magazine dedicated to the highest level of sports photography, and Volcom, the skate, surf, and swimwear giant brand that encourages its wearers to creatively and endlessly seek elevation.
Dreaming in shades of cool, this collection of fine art imagery takes a sweeping look at the photographic works of Henry Diltz, Guy Webster, Lynn Goldsmith, Pattie Boyd, and Norman Seeff, among others. Taking its title from Bruce Brown’s 1966 surf camp classic, Endless Summer is a love letter to sun-washed phenomena and and all that looms just beneath its crystalline surface. The lineup of images in this collection are so hot, they’ll have everyone reaching for a cold drink and slathering on the sunscreen. From blue waters to muscle cars, Endless Summer features a series of music and onscreen legends at play – and sometimes at work – in a sultry summertime setting.
Fans will find moments that encapsulate the essence of quiet relaxation, as in Seef’s free-flowing shot of Joni Mitchell drifting in the deep depths of blue pool waters and a legendary black and white photo of Keith Richards (snapped by Michael Cooper) floating on his back, arms outstretched, in the pool at Villa Nellcôte.
Endless Summer also captures the sheer joy of letting loose and hanging out with friends. The Mamas and the Papas frolic in a pool underneath an impromptu hat fountain in one Guy Webster shot, while Charles Trainer was ready with his camera when The Beatles made a splash in Miami Beach while there for their 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. That TV appearance wasn’t the only history-making music event to take place in the heat of summer; the exhibition also revisits the crowds and sizzling performances of Woodstock in the summer of ’69.
Amidst the peace and the partying, we also find celebrity couples relaxing together in the glow of summertime warmth. On the day Diltz spent photographing Paul and Linda McCartney (including a shot that became a Life magazine cover), Paul gave the iconic rock photographer a preview of his unreleased RAM album. In another Beatles couple moment, model/photographer Pattie Boyd took a garden self portrait featuring her and then-husband George Harrison with an explosion of roses in full bloom just behind them.
Meanwhile, the exhibition showcases another time-honored summertime tradition: a parade of beautiful cars along with beautiful people. From a barefoot David Cassidy perched on the hood of his Stingray to Elvis Presley brooding over the engine of his treasured Lincoln Continental Mark II, photographers like Diltz and Goldsmith captured stars stepping away from the water to enjoy their favorite toys.
As the world begins inching back out into the sun and putting its toes in the sand once more, Endless Summer serves as a journey into all we’ve been missing – careless moments, skin kissed by hot breezes and cold water, and favorite songs playing – all framed in moments of divine cultural and music history.
To enjoy Endless Summer and take a trip through Morrison Hotel Gallery’s other collections, visit www.morrisonhotelgallery.com.
