Gered Mankowitz

Gered Mankowitz is a London photographer, born in 1946 as the first son of the late playwright, author and film writer Wolf Mankowitz. He is well-known and respected as a celebrity portrait photographer, having once been the Rolling Stones official photographer and taken internationally recognised images, such as the cover shot of Jimi Hendrix for 'Ultimate Experience.'

Gered Mankowitz entered the world of photography after his images were seen by photographer Tom Blau, who offered him an apprenticeship at his photo agency, Camera Press. Mankowitz's initial assignments were in and around London, and after a brief foray into fashion photography in 1962 with photographer Alec Murray, Mankowitz returned and began working with 'show-biz' portrait photographer, Jeff Vickers. Through this, he built up a contact base and broadened his studio experience, taking portraits of actors and other personalities. 

In early 1965 after being approached to photograph Marianne Faithful, Mankowitz was asked also to photograph the Rolling Stones by hers and their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham. The success of the first shoot resulted in a single and an album cover, thus Mankowitz became their 'official' photographer, following them on tour, at home and in the studio, until they split from their manager in 1967; however, Gered continued working with Oldham at his Immediate label, photographing many major artists as Jimi Hendrix, The Eurythmics, Free, Slade, Gary Glitter, Traffic, ABC, Duran Duran, Sweet, Elton John, Small Faces and many more. Throughout the seventies, Mankowitz also worked in advertising, book covers and movie stills, including the set of 'Boom' with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. 

Since 1982 he has been working on books and exhibitions as well as producing small editions of large Lenticular prints, generating and supporting the global interest in the Gered Mankowitz archive. He has recently moved his home and studio to Cornwall.