Me, New York City and the Punk Scene

The Music Photo Gallery presents Me, New York City and the Punk Scene, an exhibition of photographs by Chris Stein exploring the emergence of New York’s downtown music culture during the 1970s.

Drawn from Stein’s personal archive, the exhibition brings together a selection of rarely exhibited photographs documenting the people, venues and creative energy that shaped a generation. As a founding member of Blondie, Stein occupied a unique position within the scene, capturing both its public faces and its private moments from the inside.

From early portraits of Debbie Harry to candid photographs taken at CBGB and throughout downtown Manhattan, the exhibition traces the evolution of a community that included The Ramones, Television, New York Dolls, Suicide, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Andy Warhol, Richard Hell and many others.

Beyond its significance as a record of punk and new wave, the exhibition offers a personal portrait of New York City at a pivotal cultural moment, revealing the friendships, collaborations and creative exchanges that defined one of the most influential periods in contemporary music and visual culture.