Amy Winehouse through her family's eyes: Tragic singer's relatives reveal intimate photos and never-before-seen memorabilia

  • Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait was curated by the Jewish Museum of London with the help of Amy's brother and sister-in-law
  • It features unseen photographs, Amy's favourite outfits, and backstage passes she collected as she began to share her talent with the world
  • Amy's beloved vinyl and CD collection is on display, including expected soul and jazz greats but also a Mickey Mouse Club album
  • There is even a mixtape, which she dubbed 'Chill-out', that Amy made at 13 and acts as the soundtrack to the San Francisco exhibit

A traditional Jewish cookbook, an old guitar, and a mixtape simply titled 'Chill-out'.

These are just some of the items in a new San Francisco exhibit offering an intimate peak into the early years of Amy Winehouse, as seen through the eyes of her family. 

Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait was curated by the Jewish Museum of London with the assistance of the late singer's brother Alex and her sister-in-law Riva and offers a snapshot of her life before she found international fame.

That Jewish cookbook was a birthday gift Amy received from Alex after she told him she wanted to learn how to make chicken noodle soup. There is also an old guitar which was shared by the siblings. 

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Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait was curated by the Jewish Museum of London with the assistance of the her brother Alex and sister-in-law Riva. A young Amy is seen here outside her grandmother's house

Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait was curated by the Jewish Museum of London with the assistance of the her brother Alex and sister-in-law Riva. A young Amy is seen here outside her grandmother's house

Tragic: A new San Francisco exhibit is offering an intimate peak into the early years of Amy Winehouse (pictured here in 2004) through previously unseen photographs and a collection of her valued possessions 

Tragic: A new San Francisco exhibit is offering an intimate peak into the early years of Amy Winehouse (pictured here in 2004) through previously unseen photographs and a collection of her valued possessions 

The playlist, a mixture of soul and jazz with tunes from The Mickey Mouse Club and The Offspring, was made by Amy when she was 13, although she listened to it well into her twenties. 

Its music is heard through playing during the exhibition where the walls are scribbled with words from Amy's application essay to the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.

There are also a collection of backstage passes the singer kept as she began to perform at festivals, previously unseen photographs and, swinging from a rack, a collection of her favourite dresses.

But perhaps most beloved to the singer was her vast vinyl and CD collection, providing a glimpse to sounds that would influence Amy from a young age.

Prized possession: Amy's music collection is dominated by jazz and soul legends - but there are also songs from The Mickey Mouse Club and The Offspring

Prized possession: Amy's music collection is dominated by jazz and soul legends - but there are also songs from The Mickey Mouse Club and The Offspring

Style: Swinging from a rack are a collection of Amy's outfits, including her favourite dresses and more casual clothes

Style: Swinging from a rack are a collection of Amy's outfits, including her favourite dresses and more casual clothes

Backstage pass: There are also a collection of backstage passes and wristbands the singer collected as she began to perform at festivals and appear at award shows 

Backstage pass: There are also a collection of backstage passes and wristbands the singer collected as she began to perform at festivals and appear at award shows 

Amy Winehouse's dress that she wore at Glastonbury 2008 and the Mobo Awards in 2007
A guitar that was shared by her brother Alex appears at the exhibition

Unique: Amy's dress that she wore at Glastonbury 2008 and the Mobo Awards in 2007 (left) and her guitar which she shared with her brother Alex

There are the expected jazz and soul legends, such as Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Ella Fitzgerald, according to CBS San Francisco

But Amy also had a collection of recent influences, including Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige, as well as rapper Nas, who she would later collaborate with.

There is even Adam Sandler's spoken word comedy album, Stan and Judy's Kid, as well as albums from The Mickey Mouse Club and George Michael.

The exhibit, Alex wrote in an introduction to the display, is meant to provide a snapshot of Amy.

He writes that she was, 'to her deepest core, simply a little Jewish kid from North London with a big talent who, more than anything, just wanted to be true to her heritage,' Tablet Magazine reported in 2013. 

Cover girl: A Rolling Stone cover featuring the singer hangs from a wall at the exhibition in San Francisco

Cover girl: A Rolling Stone cover featuring the singer hangs from a wall at the exhibition in San Francisco

Through the years: Digitally projected images of Amy Winehouse hang in the entrance to the exhibit

Through the years: Digitally projected images of Amy Winehouse hang in the entrance to the exhibit

London girl: The exhibition features unseen images of the singer, including the image right outside her grandmother's flat 

London girl: The exhibition features unseen images of the singer, including the image right outside her grandmother's flat 

Performer: Amy's festival and gig lanyards are on display along with family photographs, clothes and a guitar

Performer: Amy's festival and gig lanyards are on display along with family photographs, clothes and a guitar

The exhibit seems to be a step away from Amy, the record-breaking Asif Kapadia documentary about the late singer that recounted both her art-making process and her tragic descent. 

Although universally praised by critics, the documentary was heavily criticised by the singer's family, who had originally given the film their full support when they were first approached by Kapadia.

Shortly before the film's premiere, the family announced in a statement that they were disassociating themselves from the documentary. 

'They feel the film is a missed opportunity to celebrate her life and talent and that it is both misleading and contains some basic untruths,' a spokesperson said. 

The new exhibition is the family's chance to show an Amy, who died of alcohol poisoning aged 27 in 2011, that was rarely seen in the last few years of her life as she struggled with her addictions.

It celebrates the things she was most passionate about, according to the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Her love of music and fashion, of her Jewish roots and her home in London, and of her family.

Life and times: The singer's vast vinyl and CD collection provides a glimpse to sounds that would influence Amy from a young age

Life and times: The singer's vast vinyl and CD collection provides a glimpse to sounds that would influence Amy from a young age

Writing on the wall: Scribbled on the walls are words from Amy's application essay to the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London

Writing on the wall: Scribbled on the walls are words from Amy's application essay to the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London

The exhibit, which is currently at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum, is meant to celebrate the things Amy was passionate about: Music, fashion, London, her heritage and her family

The exhibit, which is currently at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum, is meant to celebrate the things Amy was passionate about: Music, fashion, London, her heritage and her family

Home lofe: The exhibition gives a snapshot into the styles and tastes of a singer who never forgot her north London roots

Home lofe: The exhibition gives a snapshot into the styles and tastes of a singer who never forgot her north London roots

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