108 Rock Star Guitars

The rich saturation of colour in Lisa Johnson's ground-breaking photographic vision documents not only some of culture's most important rock star guitars, but also recounts how the instrument itself has become the essential symbol of rock. Her bold use of unusually low depth-of-field photography visually caresses the instrument in the way a skilful musician might - zeroing in on subtle gradations in a guitar's patina or hugging the curves of another's silhouette. Johnson accompanies her images with text cultivated from interviews with the proud guitar owners, revealing the personality of the musician who plays the instrument while her images revere the instrument itself. Johnson provides up-close inspection of guitars, including those of Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Rick Nielsen, Brian Setzer, Chrissie Hynde, Ace Frehley, Carlos Santana, and Jack White. Here, the guitar is made exotic, sensuous, and evocative - it transforms from an instrument into an artwork.