Morrison Hotel Gallery presents Against the Grain in Nashville, Tennessee through May 15, 2026. This exhibition brings together the photography of Douglas Kirkland, Daniel Kramer, and Jerry Schatzberg as not merely witnesses but active participants in the cultural rupture of the 1960s. A decade that was defined by rebellion, experimentation, and the reshaping of American identity. Through intimate, electric portraits and unguarded moments of figures such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Ann Margaret, Faye Dunaway, Jimi Hendrix and more, these photographs capture the restless energy of a generation pushing against convention and authority. Rooted in the spirit of counterculture, these visions reflect a new America coming into focus.. bold, defiant, and alive at the edge of transformation.
Antonia Stoyanovich, (Associate Gallerist, Morrison Hotel Gallery) and Ben Amandes, (Associate Archive Director for the Jerry Schatzberg Archive) write :
Against the Grain was born out of a shared conviction that America experienced a shift in the l 960s with the emergence of “counterculture” that would forever change how social, cultural, political and image culture functioned. There was no longer a need to ask for permission, and the individual emerged in a new way. The lens based mediums of Photography and Video soared ahead. Photography no longer aimed to soothe or flatter, but leaned into friction, risk, and truth.
Douglas Kirkland, Daniel Kramer, and Jerry Schatzberg represent artists who were not merely witnesses to the cultural rupture of the 1960s, but active participants within it. They moved inside the world they were documenting. They earned trust, shared space, and their work shares a window into a landscape experiencing a major cultural shift.
The images in Against the Grain reflect that tension born out of the era that would carry through the remainder of the 20th century. It’s raw, intimate, and alive with urgency. Through unguarded portraits of electric figures like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Ann-Margret, Faye Dunaway, and Jimi Hendrix, we see a generation pushing against convention and authority, searching for something truer than what had been handed to them. Each subject stands in the fierce confidence of living on their own terms.
We see the photographers rebelling alongside their subjects, experimenting on the cutting edge of photography. Douglas Kirkland challenges the concept of the portrait in his image of Vanessa Redgrave doused in blue, juxtaposing the silhouette of her profile against her face. Jerry Schatzberg uses mirrors to create the kaleidoscope effect in his Nico portrait-something he first toyed with as a fashion photographer but was able to really develop after he broke out on his own. Dylan may have gone electric, but Kramer uses a hand made rig to create the edgy, glass-bottle effect, emulating a spinning record in his immortal album cover for Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home. Each photographer was especially ambitious in this era and pushed the boundaries of the medium, their subjects and themselves.
Kirkland, Kramer and Schatzberg’s unique perspectives as artists are key to the canon and appreciation of the medium of Photography. The photographs go beyond nostalgia, and function as living, breathing work that continues to challenge norms beyond the walls of the gallery. Collectively they remind us that culture doesn’t shift politely. It breaks, bends, and reassembles itself through the vibrant individuals who are willing to stand slightly apart.
Bringing this exhibition and the work of Douglas Kirkland, Daniel Kramer and Jerry Schatzberg to Nashville feels especially meaningful. It’s a city rooted in musical legacy, creative independence, and a place where voices have always understood the power of dissent. Counterculture is never a closed chapter. Against the Grain reflects the empowerment of those who choose to go forward bold, defiant, and ready to embrace the edge.
Written by Antonia Stoyanovich, (Associate Gallerist, Morrison Hotel Gallery) Ben Amandes, (Associate Archive Director for the Jerry Schatzberg Archive)
Against the Grain : Douglas Kirkland, Daniel Kramer, and Jerry Schatzberg
Through May 15, 2026
Morrison Hotel Gallery
620 8th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203
www.morrisonhotelgallery.com
