Art & Design // Dennis Hopper

Sadly, acclaimed actor Dennis Hopper passed away about a week ago after a long battle with prostate cancer. Before he got his big break in the self directed Easy Rider and became the Dennis Hopper you know today, Hopper was an aspiring photographer. Ostracized by alot of Hollywood film studios due to his reputation for being a “difficult” actor, Hopper turned to photography as a creative output in the 1960s using a camera bought for him by his first wife, Brooke Hayward. Hopper became a prolific photographer, painter, and sculptor; becoming infamous for having his camera with him on all occasions.

Throughout the 60s, Hopper took his camera everywhere; film shoots, parties, restaraunts, bars, clubs and galleries, cruising on motorways and at political marches. He photographed friends, family, movie stars, music icons and complete strangers. Along the way he captured some of the most intriguing moments of his generation with a keen and intuitive eye. An unwilling icon trapped in the upheaval of the turbulent decade, Hopper documented the likes of Tina Turner in the studio, Andy Warhol at his first West Coast show, Paul Newman on set, and Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights March.

Below is a selection of his finest photographs from the collection of 400 exhibited whilst he was still alive. You can purchase a book of Hoppers work here, if you can afford the £1688 price tag…