Guest Author
By Jay Ahuja
My wife and I first met in an extracurricular photography class. So, when we learned that an Annie Leibovitz exhibit was coming to Charlotte’s Mint Museum Uptown, we wasted no time attending. Leibovitz is best known for her cover photos for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Vogue magazines. Plenty of those pictures are included in this exhibit, but there is so much more.
All told, there are 324 still photos with an additional 200 images displayed on five giant video screens. Entering the exhibit, you’ll notice that photos are hung on the walls with pushpins. This is by design, as Leibovitz wanted to convey the sense of being in her home studio.
The first photos to jump out are 63 modest sized black and white photos of celebrities in cars. You’ll see Richard Pryor, Jerry Garcia, Fran Leibowitz and others. Farther into the room, there are more black and white photos from her early days living with family in the Philippines, an iconic shot from Washington DC on the day of Nixon’s resignation, and an extended period spent on tour with the Rolling Stones in 1975.
As you turn the corner into the largest space of the museum’s 4th floor gallery, the exhibit suddenly goes to the next level. An entire wall is stacked with larger color and black and white photos of modern pop culture heroes: David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Nicholas Cage, Michael Jordan, Keith Haring, Muhammad Ali, and dozens of other celebrities. The video screens rotate images of celebrities and landscapes at varying paces. In addition to famous shots, you’ll see a handful of more recent works. Don’t sleep on the small display of Polaroid pictures and the funny story about their origin. Also be sure to take some time to scroll through the considerable collection of books featuring Leibovitz’s photos.
Leibovitz’s newest painting, a portrait of Hugh McColl was unveiled at the Mint’s annual gala. The very next day, Annie Leibovitz/Work debuted. Running through August 31, 2025, tickets are available at mintmuseum.org.
Jay Ahuja moved to Charlotte, NC in 1986 and has retired there with his wife, Karen, and their dog, Jango. Jay is the author of two sports-travel guidebooks, executive producer of a documentary film about The Double Door Inn, and has served on North Carolina Outward Bound School’s Charlotte Advisory Board since 2008.
Contact: jahuja@carolina.rr.com.
