Paris-based Claude Gassian has been shooting the legends of rock from the early seventies and is one of France’s best-known music photographers. More than simply portraits of well-known musicians and performers, Gassian’s photographs are part of his greater search for that beautiful moment beyond the immediately recognizable. Presented with the obvious celebrity of his subjects, Gassian persists until he catches that individual mood or private thought behind the very public personality. In the process, Gassian captures a feeling that eclipses the subject itself. Gassian has shot virtually every major figure in music, from aging giants (Chuck Berry, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, James Brown) to today’s musicians (Jack White, Daft Punk, The Kills, The Queens of the Stone Age). In between, he photographed the rock Pantheon including, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Patti Smith, The Clash, and Nick Cave. Many of Gassian’s images have been used as album covers, and have been published in numerous magazines and newspapers throughout the world. Currently living and working in Paris, Gassian’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in Europe and the United States.