Dennis Morris is a British artist and photographer whose work has documented some of the most influential cultural figures and communities of the last fifty years. Closely associated with music and youth culture, Morris created some of the most iconic and recognisable images of Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols, as well as the cover for Marianne Faithfull’s Broken English album. He also designed the iconic Public Image Ltd logo and created artwork for the band’s first two album releases, including the legendary Metal Box.
Alongside his music photography, Morris has produced extensive documentary work exploring British identity, race and community. His projects include documenting the Sikh community of Southall in West London — a collection later acquired by English Heritage — as well as photographing London’s East End West Indian community in Growing Up Black, and working-class Londoners in This Happy Breed.
Several books of his work have been published, including Music + Life, Bob Marley: A Rebel Life, Portraits of the King, and The Bollocks, focusing on the Sex Pistols. Growing Up Black and Colored Black chronicle Black British life throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Morris’ work has been exhibited internationally at institutions and festivals including the Arles Photography Festival (France), Kyotographie International Photography Festival (Kyoto), Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris), The Photographers’ Gallery (London), the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), Tate Britain, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland), the Today Art Museum (Beijing), and Laforet Museum (Tokyo).
His photographs are held in major public and private collections including Tate Britain, the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Museum of London. His work has also appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, Time, GQ, Vogue, W, and Frieze, and is featured in books including Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century by Greil Marcus, Century by Bruce Bernard, and 100 Days of Active Resistance by Vivienne Westwood.