Dennis Hopper. The Lost Album

Dennis Hopper was the epitome of 1960s American counter-culture. If you remember this period, the cliché goes, then you weren’t there. Dennis Hopper had more reason than most people to forget that period, given his penchant for fast living, and the intensity with which he crammed so many roles into a single decade – filmmaker, actor, photographer, face on the scene.

Dennis Hopper, Robert Rauschenberg, 1966. Courtesy of the Royal Academy of Arts.

But he was there for sure, and busy documenting 1960s America extensively, as shown in the Academy’s new exhibition of his black-and-white photography, ‘Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album’. An exhibition not to be missed this summer.

From Hell’s Angels and hippies to the streets of Harlem, Hopper's photography powerfully captures American culture and life in the 1960s, a decade of progress, violence and enormous upheaval.

Dennis Hopper carved out a place in Hollywood history, with roles in classic films like Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, True Romance and Easy Rider. He is less well known, though no less respected, for his work as a photographer. This exhibition brings together over 400 images, taken during one of the most creative periods of his life in the 1960s. Every image you’ll see was chosen by Hopper himself for his first major exhibition in 1970 and is the vintage print he produced for that occasion.

This was a decade of huge social and political change, and Hopper was at the eye of the storm. With his camera trained on the world around him he captured Hell’s Angels and hippies, the street life of Harlem, the Civil Rights movement and the urban landscapes of East and West coast America. He also shot some of the biggest stars of the time from the worlds of art, fashion and music, from Andy Warhol to Paul Newman.

Together, these images are a fascinating personal diary of one of the great countercultural figures of the period and a vivid portrait of 1960s America.

Exhibition curated by Petra Giloy-Hirtz. Organised in co-operation with The Dennis Hopper Art Trust.

Venue.- Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD, UK.
Dates.- from 26 June to 19 October 2014.