Who shot the surreal 'Between the Buttons' cover and what inspired it?

The cover of Between the Buttons was shot by Gered Mankowitz, the same guy who did Out of Our Heads and Aftermath. He used a 21mm wide-angle lens and forced perspective inside a tiny Chelsea studio to make the Stones look like they were crammed into a fever dream.

The surreal vibe came straight from René Magritte. Mankowitz was obsessed with Magritte’s The Son of Man – the guy in a bowler hat with an apple in front of his face – and wanted that same “what’s wrong with this picture?” unease. He also kept the band standing on boxes so their heads hit the ceiling, and the floor was painted white to feel like a void. The result: everything feels just a half-step off, which was exactly the point.