(The Artist Formerly Known as) Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) (Love Symbol) meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. Many people, for example, consider him to be an icon of which few could ever compare.
One of those people happens just to be Beyoncé, known fondly (that’s an understatement) by her fans as Queen Bey. She is penning the foreword of a new collection of Prince photography for a truly royal collaboration.
As she says, “Truth be told, the word ‘icon’ only scratches the surface of what Prince was and what he remains to me.”
But the intro is certainly not meant to overshadow the work itself.
Shot and compiled by Afshin Shahidi, a longtime friend and photographer of Prince, Prince: A Private View will feature an array of pictures taken over the course of their years together. Many of these photos have never been seen by the public: Shahidi was the only photographer to capture Prince’s 3121 private parties in Los Angeles, and the collection promises an intimate look at Prince from a very close and very caring point of view.
The official description of the book, released by the publisher, is as follows:
Afshin Shahidi met Prince in 1993 and soon became his cinematographer and later one of the only people allowed to photograph him. He collaborated with Prince longer than any other photographer. Afshin was the only photographer allowed to shoot the legendary 3121 private parties in Los Angeles that became the most sought after invitations in Hollywood; some of those photos are included in this book.
Prince: A Private View compiles photographer Afshin Shahidi’s work into a journey through Prince’s extraordinary life. With never-before-seen photos, it is the ultimate collection of shots of Prince. Brief, but complete and rich, stories about Shahidi and Prince’s collaboration and time together are alternately incisive, personal, and even funny.
For a sneak peek of the book’s cover, and two of the images that will be features inside, go here.
The book is due to hit shelves on October 17th.
