Lincoln Center’s Performing Arts Library is taking a ‘walk on the wild side’ with the first full-scale exhibit showcasing unseen and unseen works from the Lou Reed Archives.

Opening on the occasion of what would have been Reed’s 80th birthday on March 2, 2022, “Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars” is a chance for fans to see how influential the musician was up close with material never before seen in the creation of Reed. his life of his band from 1958 at Freeport high school, The Shades, until his last performances in 2013.

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Audio and video of performances and interviews, original prints and photographers’ contact sheets, handwritten lyrics, personal correspondence, studio notes, album proofs, press, touring posters and personal collections of Reed’s books and records and even a selection of Reed’s guitars and stage equipment. will be on display in the Lou Reed Archives as well as in the newly acquired Salvatore Mercuri Velvet Underground collection.

“Caught Between the Twisted Stars”, which is a song from “Romeo Had Juliette” by Reed’s new York, will chronicle the life’s work of “a prolific and uncompromising artist – songwriter, musician, performer, photographer, poet, accomplished tai chi practitioner – a story told through voices, images and the music of Reed and his collaborators “.

The collaborators being people like the artists Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol and Robert Wilson; musicians Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, John Cale, Garland Jeffreys, Metallica, Sterling Morrison, Robert Quine, Mike Rathke, Fernando Saunders and Maureen Tucker; director Sylvia Reed; producer Hal Willner; photographers Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Billy Name and Mick Rock; poets Jim Carroll, Allen Ginsberg, Delmore Schwartz and Anne Waldman; President Václav Havel; songwriter Doc Pomus; and tai chi master Ren Guangyi.

If you weren’t convinced yet that the exhibition will offer a fascinating look at Reed’s career, you will be now: Don Fleming and Jason Stern are the curator. Fleming was Archivist for the Lou Reed Archives and Stern was Reed’s Technical Director and Archivist during Reed’s lifetime. They knew the man personally.

“This magnificent exhibit draws on the archives – a panoramic image of Lou’s music, images, friendships, writing, tai chi and performances, as well as a recreation of the scenes and cities in which he worked and loved, ”musician Laurie Anderson said. “What better place to have this than in the heart of the city he loved the most? My dream was to make Lou’s work completely accessible to the public. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts made that happen. possible.”

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ Music & Recorded Sound Division acquired the Lou Reed Archives in 2017.

“Since the Library for the Performing Arts acquired the Lou Reed Archives, we look forward to hosting a major exhibition showcasing the treasures it contains,” said Jennifer Schantz, Executive Director of Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman from the library. for the performing arts. “‘Caught Between the Twisted Stars’ will give the public the opportunity to see how vast and rich the Lou Reed collection is, and give us all the opportunity to celebrate the 80th anniversary of this music icon in our first large-scale exposure since the start of the pandemic. “

For those who want even more of Lou Reed, Mick Rock’s mockup for Reed’s “Transformer” album will be on display at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in the new Polonsky Exhibition of Treasures from the New York Public Library, which will open its doors. doors September 24.

Lou Reed: Caught Between Twisted Stars will open on March 2, 2022 in the Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery at the Library for the Performing Arts. It will be visible until August 27, 2022.