Jean Pierre LELOIR (1931-2010) Lot n° 18

Jean Pierre LELOIR (1931-2010) Rolling Stones Palais des Sports, Paris, September 22, 1970. Modern silver print, dry stamp of the Archives Leloir. 30,5 x 41 cm. After the mythical American tour of 1969, the Rolling Stones went on a European tour from August to October 1970. It is a particularly creative and dynamic period. The band had lost Brian Jones a year earlier, and had brought in Mick Taylor; they left the Decca label that had been with them since the beginning and were recording the first album produced by their own label: Sticky Fingers. Jean-Pierre Leloir loved the Rolling Stones: he attended the concert on September 22, 1970, the first of three Parisian dates, and he returned to see the group in Lyon on October 3. While he was only scheduled to do a report for Rock & Folk at the Palais des Sports in Paris, he printed 22 rolls of black and white film and 15 rolls of color film. "It was totally unreasonable economically, because he only worked for Rock & Folk at that time; he thought about the archives, the future" underlines Eric Facon, who was the last assistant and shooter of Jean-Pierre Leloir; "he was aware of the posterity of his work; it was not profitable at the time, it was just to support a family" adds the daughter of the photographer, Marion Leloir. At the time, Jean-Pierre Leloir had access to the stage and backstage, which gave him an exceptional viewpoint. Among the hundreds of photos of that night, how did this shot, which was not among those published in Rock & Folk, stand out to become one of the most emblematic of the Rolling Stones' golden age? On the contact sheet, several shots of this moment of complicity between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards follow one another, until this one, marked with two letters in red grease pencil: "GB". These initials suggest that the sharp eye of the Swiss photographer Georges Braunschweig, a friend of Jean-Pierre Leloir, would have spotted this photograph for publication in Switzerland. After this first publication, the strength of the image itself would have done the rest. The mystery of the emergence of a legendary icon will probably persist for a long time, and we must hope so. Rolling Stones Palais des Sports, Paris, September 22nd 1970 Modern analog print, 30,5 x 41 cm; Archives Leloir dry stamp. From August to September 1970 the Rolling Stones went on a European tour after the legendary American tour of 1969. It was a particularly creative and dynamic period. The band had lost Brian Jones the year before and brought in Mick Taylor; they quit Decca who had accompanied them since their first single and were recording the first album produced by their own label, Sticky Fingers. Jean-Pierre Leloir loved the Rolling Stones: he attended the concert on September 22nd 1970, the first of three Parisian gigs and returned to see the band play in Lyon on October 3rd. Although only one reportage was planned for Rock & Folk at the Palais des Sports in Paris he shot 22 rolls of black-and-white film. "Financially it was completely unreasonable because he worked only for Rock & Folk at the time; he was thinking of archives, of the future" points out Eric Facon, last assistant and printer to Jean-Pierre Leloir; "he was aware of his work's posterity; it didn't make much money at the time, it barely covered a family's living expenses" adds Marion Leloir, the photographer's daughter. At the time, Jean-Pierre Leloir had access to the stage and backstage, giving him an exceptional standpoint. Among the hundreds of pictures from that night, how did this shot, that wasn't published in Rock & Folk, distinguish itself and become one of the most emblematic photos of the Rolling Stones' golden age? On the contact sheet several shots of this moment of complicity between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards follow each other, until this one, marked by two letters in red grease-pencil: "GB". These intials lead us to believe that Swiss photographer and Jean-Pierre Leloir's friend Georges Braunschweig's expert eye had noticed this photograph for a Swiss publication. After this first publication the force of the image itself would have done the rest. The mystery of how a legendary icon emerges will probably persist for a long time, and we should hope it stays that way.