Stage Proof 1 1972

The source material for 'Release' was a newspaper photograph taken in 1967. This showed the art dealer Robert Fraser and the singer Mick Jagger handcuffed together after they were arrested on drugs charges. In 1972 Hamilton decided to produce a print based on this subject whose royalties would go to the National Council for Civil Liberties and also to Release, an organisation providing help in connection with drugs and police arrests. Working with Chris Prater, Hamilton created the final print in nineteen separate stages. At each stage, additional details were added to the evolving image. The stage proofs shown here (stages 14 and 15 are missing) record the gradual development of the image. Gallery label, September 2004