New York native Catherine McGann picked up photography while studying painting in art school in the mid ‘80’s. Instantly smitten, she abandoned her brushes and hasn’t looked back. Shortly after graduation she moved to the East Village, where her journalistic, documentary style found a perfect home at the weekly alternative newspaper, The Village Voice.
She quickly became a Contributing Photographer, shooting assignments at a breakneck pace throughout the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, including a regular weekly nightlife column which continued for fifteen years with famed New York writer/personality Michael Musto. Catherine documented some of the most compelling personalities in music and beyond including: Iggy Pop, Marilyn Manson, Green Day, Aretha Franklin, Black Crowes, Diamanda Galas and others.
Catherine’s client list soon expanded to include Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Spin, Mute Records, Guitar World and many others. Her work has been published extensively internationally, and she has been profiled in publications in New York, London, and Tel Aviv. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Believing that shooting a portrait is “an intimate thing, a two way street” Catherine favored working on location in 35mm black-and-white: “I’d rather be a fly on the wall in someone else’s world than try to fit them into an artificial world that I impose on them. I really believe in ‘the decisive moment’, that the best pictures are truly spontaneous, and almost given to you, somehow…”
Ready for a change, she packed up her negatives in 2001 and moved to Los Angeles with her family, where she currently lives and works.
Green Day had just hit it big and I was assigned by Entertainment Weekly magazine to shoot the band backstage at Madison Square Garden.
Marilyn Manson backstage at The Jon Stewart Show in New York in June 1995
Signed limited edition multicoloured cassette art print by Horace Panter featuring 24 different images including Madness, Blur & David Bowie
Contact sheet of Joy Division backstage at the YMCA, London in August 1979
David Bowie, Lou Reed & Iggy Pop during a press conference at the Dorchester Hotel, London in July 1972
This stark image was a poster designed to promote the Pink Floyd exhibition, Interstellar, at the Paris Cité De La Musique in October 2003.
Madness are an English band from Camden Town, London & one of the most prominent bands of the late 70s & early 80s 2 Tone ska revival.
Sir Cliff Richard is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor & philanthropist, he has sold more than 250 million records worldwide.
With his distinctive raspy voice and profound lyricism, Rod Stewart is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Liam Gallagher is best known as the charismatic, self-assured front man of Manchester Britpop band Oasis.
Here are the very latest prints we have added to our collection. We hope you love them as much as we do.
Welcome to our Jazz & Blues Print Collection - over 50 years of iconic images of the world's greatest Jazz & Blues musicians
The Rolling Stones have been entertaining audiences for more than 50 years. Our collections share the best images spanning their career
The Beatles were one of the most popular & influential bands of all time. Here we showcase our collection of their iconic fine art prints
