Janette Beckman
Janette Beckman is a British-born photographer who lives and works in New York. She began her career at the dawn of punk rock, working for music magazines such as The Face and Melody Maker. She shot artists from the Clash to Boy George, as well as three album covers for the Police. After moving to New York City in 1983, she was drawn to the underground hip-hop scene and photographed pioneers of the emerging genre, such as Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash, and LL Cool J.
Beckman has published five books: Rap!: Portraits & Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers (St. Martin’s), Made In The UK: The Music of Attitude, 1977 – 1983 (powerHouse), The Breaks: Stylin’ and Profilin’ 1982 – 1990 , El Hoyo Maravilla (powerHouse), and The MashUp: Hip-Hop Photos Remixed by Iconic Graffiti Artists (Hat & Beard Press).
Her work has been shown in galleries worldwide and is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe. Beckman continues to chronicle new subcultures and shoots for fashion brands such as Levi’s and Dior. She is represented by the Fahey/Klein Gallery
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Featured Photographs
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A Tribe Called Quest, Chelsea, New York, 1990Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
"Ladies of Hip Hop" Shoot for PAPER Magazine Manhattan, 1988Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
Slick Rick, Manhattan, 1989Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
BDP SCOTT LA ROCK & KRS 1 New York City, 1987Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
André 3000, New York City, 2003Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
Grandmixer DST, London, 1982Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
"Ladies of Hip Hop" Shoot for PAPER Magazine Manhattan, 1988Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
EPMD, Unfinished Business, Long Island, 1989Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
Big Boi, Andre 3000Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
Salt N Pepa, Shake Your Thang, New York City, 1987Photo by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles -
Salt n Pepa 1987 contact sheetPhoto by: Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles
