Photographer Lawrence Watson is sharing hand-signed limited edition prints for mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness and the photography platform Print Matters.
For five decades, Lawrence Watson has had unmatched access to culture-defining figures through his photography, which includes iconic artists such as Oasis, Paul Weller, Blur, Michael Jordan, Snoop Dogg, Grace Jones, Public Enemy, and David Bowie.
For the new photography platform Print Matters, Watson is exclusively shares hand-signed, limited edition, exhibition-grade prints from across his career – including previously unseen images of David Bowie and Oasis. With a percentage of net sales donated to mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness.
Watson’s archive includes career-defining images of Oasis, which are being exclusively sold for Print Matters and Rethink Mental Illness in 2025 as Oasis make one of music’s most anticipated comebacks.
For over 20 years, Watson has been one of Oasis’ most trusted photographers. Taking instantly recognisable portraits of Liam Gallagher and capturing candid shots of the whole band on tour and music video shoots.
“We were shooting in this used prison in LA. I think I’m probably one of the only people whose shot Snoop Dogg behind bars.” – Lawrence Watson
From Michael Jordan, Paul McCartney and Andy Warhol to ‘hip-hop’s first female MC icon’ Roxanne Shante – where culture shifted, Watson captured. It was his early days as an NME photographer and his groundbreaking documentation of the mid-80s New York hip-hop scene that first made Watson one of music’s favourite photographers.
Watson also shares unseen images of Pulp, David Bowie, Oasis, Neneh Cherry, The Clash, Run-DMC, The Pogues and Paul Weller in his new Print Matters collection.
Print Matters offers limited edition, exhibition-grade photographic prints and fine art posters to a wider audience, with a percentage of every net sale donated to Rethink Mental Illness.
No matter how bad things are, Rethink Mental Illness can help people severely affected by mental illness improve their lives. Rethink knows people severely impacted by mental illness can have a good quality of life. With support, Rethink will make that possible.
Watson also shares an exclusive, limited-edition fine art poster of Liam Gallagher draped in the Union Jack to celebrate Oasis’s return. The poster is hand-signed by Watson and strictly limited to 500. It features one of Watson’s best-loved photos of the Oasis frontman.
“When he’s with us, Lawrence becomes part of the band. He’s always thinking ahead, looking for ideas. He’s part of our crew.” – Paul Weller
In 1988, Paul Weller scrapped the artwork for The Style Council’s Confessions of a Pop Group at the last minute to replace it with photos by Lawrence Watson – a young photographer at the time. Since then, no other photographer has worked as closely with Paul Weller. For Print Matters, Watson shares 30 years of exclusive, insider portraits of Weller’s songwriting process, studio sessions, tours, contact sheets and album covers.
Ray Charles, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, The Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, James Brown, Primal Scream, Top Boy actor and grime pioneer Kano, Funkadelic, Al Green, Pet Shop Boys, Suede, Jimmy Cliff, The Specials frontman Terry Hall, Tom Waits, Bootsy Collins, Beck, Massive Attack, The Ramones, LL Cool J, Soul II Soul, Eric B and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry are just some of the other music royalty who’s been captured by Watson and feature in his new Print Matters collection.
“It was a mind-blowing time – lad from a council estate gets flown to America to photograph amazing music at its inception! I thought hip-hop would be successful, but I had no idea how big it would become. I think they viewed us as these weird white boys from England who’d come to photograph hip-hop at a time when the music wasn’t really recognised at home.” – Lawrence Watson on 80s hip-hop.
Lawrence added, “It’s been exciting going back through my archive with Print Matters and rediscovering shots that have been unseen for decades. Donating a percentage of every net sale to mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness only makes it more meaningful.”
Lawrence Watson’s signed, limited edition prints are available from 16 April from Print Matters. Signed, limited edition prints from £575. | Liam Gallagher, Oasis fine art poster £85.
Lead image: Liam Gallagher, Oasis in Union Jack, London, 2009 Photo: Lawrence Watson / Print Matters.
Oasis with Rhys Ifans at The Importance of Being Idle video shoot, Ladbroke Grove, London, 2005.
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