This is only a preview. The auction will open on: 10/28/2026 1:00:00 PM
Offered Here: Lou Reed 1982-1983 Legendary Hearts 53 Color Slides Photo Session With Transfer Rights
Item Details: From the private collection of acclaimed photographer Waring Abbott, this exceptional lot features 53 original color positive slides captured during the historic 1982 photo session for Reed’s celebrated 1983 album, Legendary Hearts. This rare, one-of-a-kind archive includes striking shots of Lou Reed with his motorcycle across various locations, alongside definitive close-up photographs of the iconic helmet featured on the final album cover. Offered with full transfer rights, this museum-quality collection represents an extraordinary opportunity to own an indelible piece of rock history and its commercial legacy.
Provenance / Authenticity: The items in this lot are sourced directly from the personal archives of renowned photojournalist Waring Abbott. Abbott’s iconic imagery has graced the pages of Time, Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, and countless foreign publications, alongside legendary album covers and photo spreads for KISS, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan and others.
As co-founder of the Velvet Underground in the mid-1960s, Lou Reed brought literary realism and frank urban subject matter into rock, and the band's influence on punk, new wave and alternative music far outstripped its modest sales at the time. His solo career produced the 1972 album Transformer, co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson and featuring "Walk on the Wild Side." In the early 1980s he entered a period of renewed focus with The Blue Mask (1982) and its 1983 RCA follow-up, both built around the interplay between Reed and guitarist Robert Quine and widely regarded as a creative resurgence for the artist.
Condition: Very good
SKU: WBB1115