"Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present" at the Brooklyn Museum

                

A picture can do more than speak a thousand words; as this new exhibit demonstrates, it can also rock a thousand tunes. "Who Shot Rock & Roll" features 175 photographs of legendary rockers and their acolytes as captured by 105 different shutterbugs. The works are organized by category: behind-the-scenes, fans and crowds, the early years, performance, portraits and conceptual images, such as Storm Thorgerson's dreamlike album covers for Pink Floyd and the Nice. For kids, the show is a crash course in music history and an introduction to photography as a powerful, expressive art form.

Parents may very well feel a wave of nostalgia when gazing at mosh pits, leather jackets, pints of beer and beehive hairdos in fervent stills that seem, well, anything but still. The photographs twist and jive along the white walls—Bob Gruen’s 1970 open-exposure picture of Tina Turner’s swooshing body; Gered Mankowitz’s multicolored print panel of Jimmy Hendrix’s emotion-filled face; Ian Dickson’s shot capturing the Ramones in their grungy punk-rock glory—and pull viewers into the action.

Warning: Some of the images aren’t family-friendly (they don’t call it "sex, drugs and rock & roll" for nothing!). R-rated entries include Marilyn Manson covered in blood, an almost-nude Eminem and pretty much anything with Courtney Love. Some of the more far-out photos are sure to amuse; our favorite depicts David Bowie as alien Ziggy Stardust, decked out in neon underwear and heels. If your kids look lost, steer them toward artists they'll probably recognize, such as Madonna and the Beatles—although whether they know the Fab Four thanks to their edition of Rock Band or your affinity for Abbey Road is anyone’s guess.

Feel like dancing? Check out screenings of classic music videos, including U2’s "Electrical Storm" and Bowie’s "Life on Mars." With luck, the exhibition will inspire your brood to mimic Elvis’s original hip shakes rather than Miley’s fist pump.—Caitlin Brody

"Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present" is on view at the Brooklyn Museum through Jan 31.

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