When we are fabulous old ladies and we see young girls on their way to fancy dress parties dressed as Amy Winehouse no doubt we will be reminded of exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the sad news that she had died.
As a true icon of our epoch her sound and style is instantly recognizable. Now there is a chance to have a glimpse of the life she led behind the public glare as Amy’s brother Alex and sister-in-law Riva have curated an exhibition with The Jewish Museum of her belongings.
Items that illustrate her musical passion and influences such as her own record collection, her first guitar, her uniform from the Sylvia Young School, performer passes from festivals will be on display along side her outfits from performances such as the Arrogant Cat dress worn in her Tears Dry On Their Own video (see below) as well as the gingham dress she designed for Fred Perry.
Fittingly situated in Camden, Amy’s playground, photographs are a big part of this exhibition, giving us an insight into Amy’s strong Jewish roots and family heritage. As Alex Winehouse explains:
Amy was someone who was incredibly proud of her Jewish-London roots. Whereas other families would go to the seaside on a sunny day, we’d always go down to the East End. That was who we were, and what we were. We weren’t religious, but we were traditional. I hope, in this most fitting of places, that the world gets to see this other side not just to Amy, but to our typical Jewish family.
Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait at the Jewish Museum, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street, London NW1 7NB (three minutes walk from Camden Town tube station).
Adults £7.50, concessions £6.50.
jewishmuseum.org.uk/Amy
Comments
Sandy Nixon
Visitors will learn that as a young adult Winehouse read Charles Bukowski and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, liked Sudoku puzzles and obsessively kept wristbands, backstage passes and ticket stubs from the shows she played and attended.