Previously unseen Rolling Stones photos to go on display in London

Previously unseen photographs showing the Rolling Stones “at their decadent peak” are going on display at a London art gallery.

The images were taken by photographer “Spanish Tony” Sanchez, who lived and worked with the band as both friend and fixer for a time, and were thought to have been lost, according to a statement from the organizers of the exhibition.

“These recently rediscovered prints stand as one of the most important photographic records of The Rolling Stones to come to the market in years,” the statement reads.

The show, titled “Elegantly Wasted,” will feature photos of the Stones “taken at their decadent peak,” according to the statement from Bayliss Rare Books and Spanish Tony Media.

“Tony had unprecedented access to the band,” it reads. “These photos are the most idiosyncratic shots of the band a collector could hope for.”

The exhibition will run from February 28 to March 5 at J/M Gallery in London, and limited edition prints will be available to buy through Bayliss Rare Books.

“I couldn’t be happier to be involved in this project. I spent months trawling through Tony’s archive – thousands of negatives and contact sheets – and am blown away by Tony’s unique eye and the quality of these images,” said Oliver Bayliss, owner and founder of Bayliss Rare Books. “Fans and collectors alike are in for a real treat.”

Sanchez, who died in 2000, was a British photographer of Spanish descent who worked as Stones guitarist Keith Richards’ assistant.

“Spanish Tony was a hard man. Biff bang! One of those. He ran a gambling casino for Spanish waiters, after hours,” Richards told Life magazine in a 2010 interview. “He was a dope dealer… with a Mark 10 Jaguar, two-tone, all done up pimp-style.”

The Rolling Stones are soon to embark on a tour of the US and Canada, starting in Houston on April 28 and finishing up in Santa Clara, California, on July 17.

The tour will include classic hits as well as music from their latest album, “Hackney Diamonds,” released in October last year.

Composed of 12 tracks, the album is the band’s first new music in 18 years, and their first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, though he plays on two tracks they recorded two years earlier, according to front man Mick Jagger.

The video for the album’s lead single, “Angry,” stars “White Lotus” actor Sydney Sweeney.

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