Press Release: 'The Rolling Stones – Elegantly Wasted'

The Lost Photos of Spanish Tony

 

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

(Keith Richards, Life, 2010)

February 2024: Bayliss Rare Books and Spanish Tony Media are delighted to present an exhibition of original, previously unseen photographs of The Rolling Stones, taken at their decadent peak by the photographer ‘Spanish Tony’ Sanchez. From 29th February – 5th March, these iconic images will be on display and available to buy at J/M Gallery, Notting Hill. The private view will take place from 6 – 9pm on Wednesday 28th February.

Spanish Tony (so called by Keith Richards) was both friend and fixer to The Rolling Stones, working and living with them during their most important years. From Beggars Banquet through to The Rock and Roll Circus and onto their now infamous exile in the South of France, Tony had unprecedented access to the band. Originally thought to be lost (unbeknownst to anyone, they were in a loft in South London for decades), these photos are the most idiosyncratic shots of the band a collector could hope for.

As The Stones prepare to go on a new tour in support of Hackney Diamonds and thus open a new chapter in their seven-decade history, this exhibition and these prints explore the chapter that gave the band the legendary name. The parties, the iconic live performances and more. These recently rediscovered prints stand as one of the most important photographic records of The Rolling Stones to come to the market in years.

“This is a rare opportunity to see unique and unseen images of the band. Naturally there has been a lot of interested collaborators, however we chose to work with Oliver Bayliss due to his love of the band, his strong reputation and his ideas on exhibiting the collection tastefully.”  (Matt Dominguez, Director of Spanish Tony Media Ltd.)

“I couldn’t be happier to be involved in this project and it is an absolute pleasure to work with Spanish Tony Media. 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. Fans and collectors alike are in for a real treat.” (Oliver Bayliss, Owner & Founder of Bayliss Rare Books Ltd.)

A private view will be held on Wednesday 28th February from 6 – 9pm at J/M Gallery, 230 Portobello Rd, London W11 1LJ. All twenty-seven limited edition prints will be available to buy via the Bayliss Rare Books website from 28th February onwards.

For further information, please contact:

Oliver Bayliss – oliver@baylissbooks.co.uk | +447787359977

ENDS

About Bayliss Rare Books

From the full James Bond collection to highly sought-after contemporary photography, Oliver Bayliss (as Bayliss Rare Books) deals in only the most iconic of works on paper.

As a renowned dealer Oliver has curated full collections for clients, helped to design libraries, sourced some of the hardest to find works on the planet and travelled far and wide for elusive first editions and rare photographs. As a collector first, dealer second, Oliver only sells items he is truly passionate about with strong cultural value.

For more information visit: https://www.baylissbooks.co.uk/

About Spanish Tony Media

A family run business formed in 2021 by the grandsons of Spanish Tony Sanchez, with the sole purpose of promoting the collection of photographs taken by Tony Sanchez in the 1960s and 70s.

Tony Sanchez, also known as ‘Spanish Tony’, was a British photographer of Spanish ancestry. He worked as Keith Richards’ assistant for eight years and co-wrote with John Blake a international bestselling memoir about this time. ‘Up and Down with the Rolling Stones’ was published in 1979. Sanchez met the Rolling Stones through his connection with the art dealer Robert Fraser. According to Keith Richards - Sanchez, who had been a croupier and bouncer, was able to help Fraser when he was in trouble with gambling debts and became Fraser’s personal assistant. Sanchez was one of the Rolling Stones two official photographers, along with Michael Cooper for ‘The Stones in the Park’ free outdoor festival held in London’s Hyde Park on 5 July 1969. Tony Sanchez died in 2000.

For more information visit: https://spanishtonymedia.com/