Jimi Hendrix exhibition to commemorates 40th anniversary of his death

A new exhibition exploring the London life, music, performances and enduring legacy of Jimi Hendrix opens on 25 August 2010 at Handel House Museum.

Hendrix in Britain commemorates the 40th anniversary of Hendrix's death on 18 September 1970 and runs from 25 August to 7 November 2010.

The exhibition takes place at Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street, the Mayfair townhouse in which composer George Frideric Handel lived and worked for 36 years. He wrote his most popular and enduring music, including Messiah, in the house and died there in 1759.

In 1968, Jimi Hendrix moved into the top floor flat of 23 Brook Street, with his English girlfriend Kathy Etchingham, and it became his home during long periods of playing in many venues across town.

The 23 Brook Street flat is now used as the administrative offices of Handel House Museum. But, to mark the anniversary, it will be opened to the public for a 12-day stretch during the run of the exhibition, including the 18 September anniversary date.

Previously, the flat has only been open for guided tours on specific one-off dates. To accommodate the special opening, Museum staff will move out temporarily, taking their office furniture and equipment with them, to allow visitors to tour the rooms in which Hendrix lived, wrote, played and entertained many of his contemporaries during an important and prolific period in his life.

Tickets for visits to Hendrix's flat (including admission to the exhibition) can be booked from Tuesday 1 June 2010 at 9.00am at www.seetickets.com/events

Hendrix in Britain will explore several aspects of Jimi Hendrix's life and career.

Featuring exhibits rarely seen or never previously displayed in the UK, as well as a host of images, film clips and music, the exhibition will trace his rise to fame, his songwriting craft, his extraordinary guitar playing and his lasting impact on music
and popular culture.

Among the items on display will be handwritten lyrics; a distinctive orange velvet jacket and Westerner hat worn by Hendrix in performance, on film and in album photography; Hendrix's scrawled travel directions to the Isle of Wight Festival, scene of his final significant performance in August 1970; and UK concert memorabilia.