A photobooth snap taken in East Finchley in 1968 has been transformed into an artwork on the walls of a famous guitar shop.
The passport photo was of Muswell Hill brothers Ray and Dave Davies, co-founders of The Kinks, who played their first gigs in their parents' terraced home in Denmark Terrace and at The Clissold Arms pub opposite.
They earned their first hit You Really Got Me in 1964, following it up with 17 UK top 20 singles, including iconic tracks Waterloo Sunset, Sunny Afternoon, Dead End Street, and Lola.
Now artist Christian Furr has used the vintage passport photo for his new collaboration The Kinks: Brothers which opens at The Gibson Garage in central London on July 24.
Furr has transformed the hastily taken portrait into a series of mixed media paintings on paper and canvas which capture the intense and sometimes challenging bond between the two brothers.
Before forming The Kinks in 1963 Ray studied at Hornsey School of Art in Crouch End and Dave has painted all his life.
Both brothers and the artist have signed the prints - but Dave added his own artistic inspiration when he saw the finished works.
He was moved to tears and immediately began painting on them himself.
Dave said: “It was a magic moment when we crammed into the photobooth all those years ago. Christian Furr has done a wonderful job in developing the image into special artworks. We hope people love these as much as we do.”
Ray, who lives in Highgate, added: “Over the years it’s been amazing to see creative people take our music and make something of their own.
"Christian Furr has done just that. It’s great to be doing something new with Dave, and seeing these paintings and the original passport photobooth picture again brings back a lot of memories.”
Furr said the paintings conjured thoughts of "Matisse, punk, pop art, luminosity, and keeping that colour as bright as possible".
He added: "Because that to me is what I see when I listen to The Kinks.”
The paintings and a collection of limited-edition prints will be available to purchase from RedHouse Originals with prints starting at £195.
The Brothers exhibition will be open daily from July 24 at Gibson Garage in Eastcastle Street - the UK home of the legendary guitar brand whose instruments helped define the sound of The Kinks and generations of British music.
