Legendary musician and Blondie co-founder Chris Stein has always brought the same electric energy to his photography that he transmuted into his Fender Stratocaster. And now, The Gallery at Soho Grand is giving revelers a chance to view these intimate images, with moments captured of Debbie Harry, The Ramones, Patti Smith, Jean-Michel Basquiat and more.
Taking place at the Soho Grand Hotel, and in partnership with Morrison Hotel Gallery, "Chris Stein: Under A Rock" (which shares the name of Stein’s memoir) officially opened last night. Attendees included a who’s who of New York City fashion, photography and rock and roll, including photographer David Godlis, Marcia Resnick and Dustin Pittman. DJ Nina Tarr spun new wave tunes for guest as they sipped on custom cocktails (like the aptly named “One Way or Another.” Other stars in the crowd included Josie Dupont, Melissa Rich and Kyle Sosa as well as Sonic Youth and Nightlife legend Dianne Brill.
“As far as taking photos, I was doing this all along,” Stein recently told Richard Boch when asked about his exhibit and memoir. Stein also shared that he’d been keeping strict notes to go along with those memories. “Yeah, I had some (diaries and notes) but mostly from later like the 1980s and ’90s. I also enjoyed doing the captioning for the images in the books you just mentioned and some of the captions were quite extensive. The photographs also helped my memory of things. Some of the events during that period were memorable too because they were so odd—and then some of the stuff from the 1960s and ’70s just stayed with me because so much of it was so alien to the mainstream.”
The exhibit also marks the grand opening of The Gallery at Soho Grand, part of the hotel’s mission to celebrate the city’s downtown culture and history. The Gallery plans to host a rotation of exhibitions, making it possible for both emerging and established artist to bring their art to life in the heart of the city.
Photos courtesy of BFA
