Gered Mankowitz

Gered Mankowitz (born 1946) is a British photographer whose career spans over six decades and whose iconic images helped define rock ’n’ roll’s visual language. Born in London to author and playwright Wolf Mankowitz and psychoanalyst Ann Mankowitz, he discovered his passion for photography on a school trip to Holland. Legendary photographer Tom Blau recognized his talent and offered him an apprenticeship at Camera Press.

In 1962, while on a family trip to Barbados, Mankowitz began taking photographs professionally. Upon returning to London, he worked for fashion photographer Alec Murray and then for show‑biz portraitist Jeff Vickers, capturing actors and personalities for prominent publications. In late 1963 he opened his first studio at 9 Masons Yard in London’s West End and soon photographed Marianne Faithfull, whose manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, introduced him to the Rolling Stones. Mankowitz’s images graced the American cover of “Out of Our Heads” and he became the Stones’ official photographer, shooting album artwork for “Between the Buttons,” “Got Live If You Want It,” “Big Hits,” and more.

Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, Mankowitz photographed major artists including Jimi Hendrix, Free, Traffic, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, Soft Machine, Slade, Gary Glitter, Suzi Quatro, Sweet, Elton John, Kate Bush, the Eurythmics, ABC, and Duran Duran. In 1982 his work was celebrated in a major exhibition at London’s Photographers’ Gallery, which toured the U.K. for over two years and inspired the books “Hit Parade” (1984) and “Satisfaction” (1984), spotlighting his archive of Rolling Stones images.

For the past two decades, Mankowitz has operated from his North London studio—formerly a Victorian chapel—producing award‑winning advertising photography and contributing regularly to major publications. He continues to work in the music industry and to exhibit globally, with images featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s “Icons of Pop” and numerous solo and group shows. In 2003 he marked forty years as a photographer with a book of new portraits. Gered Mankowitz lives and works in London, where he remains a vital chronicler of music and culture.