TORONTO — Veteran rock-and-roll photographer Bob Gruen will return to Toronto’s Liss Gallery on Sept. 26, 2026, marking his seventh appearance at the Yorkville-area gallery and continuing a relationship that has brought his celebrated music photography to Canadian audiences for nearly two decades.
The event at Liss Gallery, located at 112 Cumberland Street, follows previous Gruen appearances dating back to 2008. The gallery has also presented events featuring his work in Kelowna, Vancouver and Montreal. His latest Toronto visit comes by popular demand and will offer audiences an opportunity to engage with a photographer whose career has documented more than six decades of popular music history.
Gruen will also be available for media interviews in connection with the Toronto appearance.
Six Decades Photographing Rock and Roll History
Gruen has built an international reputation through photographs of some of the most recognizable figures in rock music. His work spans multiple generations and movements, from major arena acts to the punk and new wave scenes that emerged from New York and London.
Among his best-known assignments was his work as John Lennon’s personal photographer during the former Beatle’s years in New York. Gruen created several enduring images of Lennon, including the musician wearing a New York City T-shirt and another showing Lennon making a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty.
His portfolio extends well beyond Lennon. Gruen has photographed Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, David Bowie and Kiss, while also documenting artists closely associated with the development of punk and new wave music.
That body of work includes photographs of the New York Dolls, the Clash, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and Blondie. Collectively, the images provide a visual record of changing music styles, personalities and cultural movements over several decades.
Gruen’s Photography Featured in Major International Collections
Gruen’s work has moved from concert venues, backstage areas and recording-industry circles into major cultural institutions.
His photographs are held in permanent collections that include the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. His photography has also appeared in exhibitions at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Saatchi Gallery in London.
Awards Recognize Photography and Charitable Contributions
Recognition for Gruen’s career includes Mojo magazine’s Honours List Award for Classic Image and induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
He was also the recipient of the first John Lennon Real Love Award, recognizing his charitable contributions to organizations including WhyHunger and MusiCares.
The honours reflect a career that has extended beyond documenting musicians, with Gruen remaining involved in charitable initiatives connected to the music community.
Toronto Appearance Highlights ‘Right Place, Right Time’ Memoir
The Toronto event will also celebrate Gruen’s memoir, Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer, which recounts his six-decade journey through the music business.
The book takes readers behind the photographs and into moments from Gruen’s career, including time spent in John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s apartment, touring with the Ike and Tina Turner band, working backstage with Kiss and experiencing New York’s influential CBGB music scene.
It also recounts a memorable exchange of steel-toed boots with Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious.
Critical response to the memoir highlighted Gruen’s perspective on the extraordinary access his career provided. Kirkus Reviews described the book as a memoir with “a constant sense of awe,” while Publishers Weekly called it a “spectacular memoir.”
Liss Gallery Continues Longstanding Relationship With Gruen
Gruen’s seventh appearance at Liss Gallery underscores the photographer’s continuing connection with Canadian audiences and the Toronto gallery.
Despite a career stretching back more than 60 years, Gruen remains active as a photographer, continuing to document contemporary artists while maintaining an archive closely tied to some of rock music’s defining periods.
His Sept. 26 return gives Toronto audiences another opportunity to encounter the stories and photographs of a career spent documenting musicians both onstage and behind the scenes. For Liss Gallery, the event also continues a relationship that has made Gruen’s work a recurring presence in Canada’s largest city since 2008.