Exhibition, Looking Into Amy Winehouse's Private Life, Goes Up At London's Jewish Museum

An exhibition, opening today at London’s Jewish Museum, delves into the life of Amy Winehouse, in a way that hasn’t been seen by the public before. The exhibition features the late singer’s clothes, CDs and extensive book collection – from Hunter S.Thompson’s Kingdom of Fear, to a Snoopy book Amy swiped from her brother as a child – as well as photographs, shoes and all kinds of previously private artefacts from the singer’s life. The exhibition is curated with the help and cooperation of Amy’s family, particularly her brother, as the museum’s main goal was to show a true, if lesser know side of the tragic performer.

Winehouse's sudden and unexpected death two years ago created a number of myths.

Many visitors will find it moving. "And it carries on being moving," said the museum's chief executive, Abigail Morris. "Every time I go around there is something else that catches me. It is a really honest exhibition and you get a sense of the real person – as well as being a big, famous icon she was from a very strong, loving family and that really comes across."

The captions to many items were written by Amy’s brother, Alex, adding a distinct personal feel to an exhibition, which was conceived to be extremely personal in the first place.

"They really help to bring the exhibition together," said the curator Elizabeth Selby about the notes. "You get a sense of a very strong brother-and-sister relationship that's very typical – it is very affectionate but also perhaps they sometimes didn't get on."

The exhibition is intended to portray her in a more normal light.

Alex Winehouse has expressed his approval of the Jewish Museum hosting the very personal exhibition. In a statement, posted by The Guardian, he expressed the following sentiment: "We weren't religious, but we were traditional. I hope, in this most fitting of places, that the world gets to see this other side not just to Amy, but to our typical Jewish family."

Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait is at the Jewish Museum in London, 3 July-15 September.

The exhibition centers around Winehouse's life away from the cameras.