Kevin Cummins (born 1953) is a British photographer known for his work with rock bands and musicians.Cummins, Kevin. "Richey Edwards". The Observer. 14 December 2008. Retrieved on 3 February 2009Savage, Jon. "Spit and polish". The Guardian. 24 September 1999. Retrieved on 3 February 2009. His work is held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Career Cummins studied photography at Salford College. He started photographing rock bands in the mid-1970s in Manchester. Cummins had a 25-year association with the NME, including 10 years as their chief photographer. He has photographed numerous bands and musicians. His images have been seen as a contributing factor in the rise of the Madchester and Cool Britannia scenes.
Cummins was instrumental in establishing City Life, Manchester's what's on guide and was a founding contributor to The Face, the style magazine where he won an award for Magazine Cover of the Year."Kevin Cummins". Rockarchive. Retrieved on 3 February 2009.
Cummins's photographs have been used extensively in cinema and TV documentaries, including Grant Gee's Joy Division and John Dower's Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop."Kevin Cummins (III)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 3 February 2009.
He worked extensively for the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester when it opened in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. He shoots regularly for the National Theatre in London, most recently for Harper Regan and Mrs. Affleck."NT : What's On : Productions : Mrs Affleck". National Theatre. Retrieved on 3 February 2009.
A lifelong Manchester City F.C. supporter, Cummins documented City's final season at Maine Road in the book We're Not Really Here.We're Not Really Here: Manchester City's Final Season at Maine Road (2003)
In 2005, British pop artist Peter Blake produced a screen print based on one of Cummins' Joy Division prints."Peter Blake Love Portfolio ". Paul Stolper. Retrieved on 3 February 2009.
Publications The Smiths and Beyond (2002) We're Not Really Here: Manchester City's Final Season at Maine Road Juvenes (2007). Edition of 226 copies. Joy Division: Juvenes. Cassell, 2021. . Manchester: Looking For the Light Through the Pouring Rain Joy Division (Rizzoli, 2010) New Order (Rizzoli, 2015) Assassinated Beauty: Photographs of the Manic St Preachers. London: Faber & Faber, 2014. . Telling Stories: Photographs of The Fall. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2022. With a foreword by Simon Armitage. .
Exhibitions Solo exhibitions 1981 Stage Struck, Royal Exchange, Manchester 1983 Access all Areas, Royal Exchange, Manchester 1985 Silent Faces, Oldham City Art Gallery 1986 Cummins 10, Cornerhouse, Manchester (part of the Festival of the Tenth Summer) 1986–96 The Way We Were, Wigan Heritage Centre 1994 Salfordians, Salford City Art Gallery 2002 The Smiths and Beyond, Proud Central, London 2003 We're Not Really Here, Richard Goodall Gallery, Manchester 2006 Arca: Joy Division, Paul Stolper Gallery, London 2009 The Crucial 30: Post Punk Liverpool, The Hard Day's Night Hotel Gallery, Liverpool 2012: Exemplar: Joy Division, Manchester Photographic Gallery, Manchester 2014: New Order, Manchester Photographic Gallery, Manchester
Group exhibitions 1999 Icons of Pop, National Portrait Gallery, London, included three of Cummins' photographs
Awards and honours In November 2009, Cummins was awarded an Outstanding Contribution to Music Photography award by the music industry website: Record of the Day.
In 2015 Cummins was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Arts) by Manchester Metropolitan University.
Collections Cummins' work is held in the following permanent collections: National Portrait Gallery, London: 4 prints (as of 12 October 2022) Victoria and Albert Museum, London: 7 prints (as of 12 October 2022)
References