From David Bowie to Britney Spears, a massive gallery with tons of historic photos of dozens of music legends is coming to Boston next month.
An exhibition dedicated to renowned Boston-based photographer Eric Antoniou’s first book, called “Rock to Baroque: Four Decades of Photography,” will be at The Hotel Commonwealth’s Panopticon Gallery from May 1 to June 30.
The vast collection of photos features nearly 225 musicians, including David Bowie, Madonna, Donna Summer, The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, U2, Philip Glass, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Orbison, Janet Jackson, Leonard Bernstein and Bob Dylan.
Most of the photos were taken at bars, clubs and stadiums in Greater Boston over the past 40 years.
The exhibition will be open to the public, and photos from the book — and the book itself — will be available for purchase.
Born in the village of Kerasia in central Greece, Antoniou discovered his love for photography at age 13 after he was given a point-and-shoot camera. He moved to Boston in 1983 and took his first photography class at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Antoniou later enrolled at the New England School of Photography (NESOP), where he graduated with honors.
“While attending NESOP, there was a freelance position available at The Boston Globe — an opportunity that became the catalyst for my career,” Antoniou said in a press release.
“I thrived on the thrill of standing in front of the stage, capturing the city’s best shows — positioned in front of the front row,“ he continued. “On any given night, I could go from photographing Seiji Ozawa at Symphony Hall to shooting River Phoenix at “The Rat” [The Rathskeller].”
Antoniou’s photos have been featured in multiple publications such as People Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and The Washington Post. In addition, he has photographed for Capitol Records, Boston Ballet, American Repertory Theatre, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Lyric Opera and Harvard University.
Outside of music, Antoniou has also photographed important cultural and political moments from the protests following the murder of George Floyd to presidential elections.
“Rock to Baroque: Four Decades of Photography” will be available in bookstores on May 1.
