Columbia Museum of Art- Art Event

KISS- Dressed to Kill, NYC, 1974

Describe the photograph - how big is it, who owns it, who shot it, who is the photograph of and what year was the photo taken. Is is black and white, color or some sort of special photographic process. If you don't know what this process is, look it up and describe it.
    Bob Gruen's photograph (he also owns the picture) of KISS was taken in 1974 for the rock-and-roll magazine CREEM.  The photo was to be used a "photo comic strip."  The piece was named, "KISS Komix Presents Clean Machine Grip Gotham- But Their Lives Were Saved by Rock & Roll."  It was about an Amish boy from Pennsylvania, moves to New York City and becomes a disc jockey with the intention of eliminating the destructive forces of rock and roll.  The members of KISS, wipe out the forces of "good clean fun," and once again, rock and roll saves the day.  From the photo above you can the picture is black and white.  Gruen focuses on the band members making the objects in the background, like the car, blurred.  Because there were no measurements listed; I looked up the measurements.  I found the original photo to be  14 by 11 inches.

Analyze the photograph - What is the photo about, what are/is the people/person doing in the photo, what is the setting, what are clothes like? What does the photograph reveal about the person in the picture?
    The photo is about how the band members of KISS saved the rock and roll from an Amish boy, who wanted to rid the world of rock and roll.  This particular photo was later used as the cover art for the band's 1975 album Dressed to Kill.  The band members of KISS are posing for the CREEM magazine photo comic strip set on the streets of New York.  The members are wearing what appears to be business suits with their signature face make-up.  I think the reason they are wearing the suits is so they would be like ordinary people who are actually heros.  Their hero side is shown through the face make-up.  I believe it is a play on Clark Kent/Superman because he wore the Superman costume under his everyday clothes.

Relate some of the photographer's or the person in the photographs history.
    Bob Gruen has photographed many famous musicians through the years like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and Madonna.  He first concert photos were of Bob Dylan in 1965 where he talked his way into getting a photo pass where he could go down front to get photos.  He moved from New York to London to work.  Later in his career he worked for the magazine CREEM.  During his tenure at CREEM he took this photo of the band KISS.
    Kiss is an American rock and roll band formed in 1973 New York.  The bands most famous attribute is the face make-up the members wear and their flamboyant stage outfits.  Today the band has been awarded 24 gold albums, sold more than 40 million records in the United States.  However, their worldwide sales exceed 100 million albums.