In its exhibition space overlooking the Charente river, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Jas Hennessy & Co, Maison de Cognac of the LVMH group, has for several seasons been offering visitors the chance to discover the world of major international artists. After photographers Marc Riboud in 2011 and Todd Selby in 2012, this year’s guest is Jonathan Mannion, one of the most published and respected photographers in the world of hip-hop and urban culture.
Jonathan Mannion has met and photographed the emblematic artists of their generation, those who have shaped the history of the most important musical movement since Rock & Roll. Jonathan Mannion’s work has greatly contributed to defining the aesthetics of the genre. Through his unique encounters, he bears witness to the development of hip-hop culture, from a confidential underground movement to a global phenomenon.
“The world sees hip-hop through his eyes,” sums up Californian artist DJ Quik on the impact of Mannion’s work. Over the past twenty years, he has designed album covers for some of the most prestigious artists on the rap scene, including Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, DMX and Lil’ Wayne. He also collaborates with prestigious American magazines such as XXL, The Fader, Complex, Vibe and The Source, creating numerous covers.
For this exhibition, Quais Hennessy invited him to explore his archives beyond his best-known works, to present a collection of personal images testifying to the close ties he has developed with the greatest artists in hip-hop and urban culture.
For the first time in France, the monographic exhibition Jonathan Mannion: Beyond The Covers at Quais Hennessy will bring together 50 prints, many of them previously unseen, selected by the artist and Thibaut de Longeville, director, documentalist and associate curator. Together, they will provide a cross-section of perspectives: one telling the story of the work, the other placing it in the context of the hip hop movement.
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