Stand Back

"Gemini" Stevie Nicks (date unknown)

Last week saw the opening of “24 Karat Gold,” an exhibit of self portraits of the gypsy herself, Stevie Nicks.

Back in the 1970s, singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks decided to learn photography. A night owl, she would stay up and take photos of her only available subject, herself. As Nicks says, “I would begin after midnight and go until 4 or 5 in the morning. I stopped at sunrise—like a vampire. I did everything—I was the stylist, the makeup artist, the furniture mover, the lighting director. It was my joy—I was the model.”

"Trouble" Steve Nicks (date unknown). Looks like Stevie found some other night owls.

Taken between 1975 and 1987 at home and while on tour with Fleetwood Mac, the self-portrait Polaroids wound up being put away in a series of shoe boxes. It wasn’t until earlier this year when Nicks was working on a new album, 24 Karat Gold—Songs From the Vault, that she decided to make them public.

The 24 images in the exhibit have been enlarged while retaining their classic Polaroid shape, and are hand-signed and numbered by Nicks. Some serve like a time capsule, bringing back memories of 80s hair, while others capture the ethereal quality associated with Nicks. And some are just downright beautiful, especially the ones where she’s got a 20s look going on (I kept thinking, she must have the most amazing closets full of stuff). You also see her trying different things like "For Hurrell" where she appears to be recreating George Hurrell's photo of Mary Pickford in her wedding dress. Twenty-four images of an icon that make for a fun and very cool exhibit.

"The Key" Stevie Nicks (date unknown)

The exhibit is at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York through October 31, 2014 and at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Los Angeles through October 21, 2014. For more information, visit here.