Retrospective of Tubular Bells’ sleeve photographer Trevor Key to take place in Hull

Influential album sleeve photographer Trevor Key will have a retrospective of his works in his hometown Hull this September, titled Trevor Key’s Top 40.

Trevor contributed photographs to a number of iconic album sleeves, notably Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, New Order’s Technique and Tangerine Dream by Can. The exhibition will celebrate 40 of his greatest sleeves, housed in a specially designed display case by British artist Matthew Darbyshire.

As a photographer Trevor was noted for his “collaborative nature”, working with famed sleeve designers Brian Cooke, Jamie Reid and Peter Saville. “Trevor was my best friend,” says Peter, “and most important collaborator from the day we met”. Artist Wolfgang Tillmans also notes Trevor as an influence: “The photographs of Trevor Key have been a huge inspiration to me. I first came across them on the record sleeves for New Order in the late 1980s. What impressed me most was their playfulness, stemming from a deep curiosity for the marvels of the photographic process. This was expressed with conceptual rigour, though intelligent groupings, pairings and innovative presentations, using record covers as a venue for fine art photography.”

The exhibition celebrating his work is part of Hull’s City of Culture events and will take place at Broderick Gallery, part of the Hull School of Art and Design. Opening on 20 September, a discussion of Trevor’s work will take place on the opening night, with a panel including Creative Review editor Patrick Burgoyne, Ian Anderson from The Designers Republic, photographer Toby McFarlan Pond and graphic designer Scott King.