First Avenue's black walls are studded with hundreds of silver stars, each one naming an artist who's taken the club's stage across more than fifty years. Only one of them is gold. It belongs to Prince, the Minneapolis-born icon who made the club world-famous and immortalized it on screen in 1984.

The gold didn't come from the club. On the morning of May 4, 2016, fans arrived to find his star, silver like all the rest the day before, suddenly gleaming gold. No announcement, no ceremony. A local artist had slipped in overnight and gilded it as a guerrilla tribute. First Avenue loved it, kept it, and the gold star has been a gathering place ever since, the sidewalk below it still collecting flowers and mementos from people who make the trip just to stand there.

I went down to First Avenue specifically to photograph the club, and there was no chance I was leaving without the star. The gold leaf catches the city lights spilling across the brick; purples, blues, a wash of magenta, against the texture of the painted wall. It's simple, direct, and instantly recognizable to anyone who loves this city or the artist who put it on the map.

For Minneapolis natives, music fans, and anyone with a connection to Prince, this is the one. It's quietly become my most popular image, and it's easy to see why, it's a piece of the city's heart, hanging right where you can see it every day.

Looks best on metal. The glossy surface makes the gold leaf and the colored light glow against the dark brick. Canvas is a strong alternative if you want the texture of the wall to read in a softer, more tactile way. And because it's such a graphic, high-impact image, it holds up beautifully at smaller, more affordable sizes too — it doesn't need to be large to land.

Formats & options

• Fine Art Paper — print only, with a 2" mat, framed, or matted and framed.
• Canvas — gallery wrap, ready to hang.
• Metal — single premium option, ready to hang. (Recommended for this image.)
• Acrylic — single premium option, ready to hang.

Framed paper prints, canvas gallery wraps, metal, and acrylic all arrive ready to hang. Every piece is produced through my professional lab partner, Bay Photo, on archival materials built to last.

FAQ

Why is this star gold when the others are silver?
First Avenue marks artists who've performed there with silver stars on its exterior wall. Prince's is the only gold one — painted as a tribute in 2016, after his passing.

Where is this?
On the exterior wall of First Avenue, the legendary Minneapolis nightclub Prince made famous in his 1984 film. The gold star sits near the club's main entrance.

When was it painted gold?
In early May 2016, weeks after Prince's death. It appeared overnight as an anonymous tribute, and the club chose to keep it.

Which format do you recommend?
Metal, for the way it makes the gold and the colored light glow against the brick. Canvas is a great textural alternative. It also looks excellent at smaller, affordable sizes.

Is it ready to hang?
Framed paper prints, canvas gallery wraps, metal, and acrylic all ship ready to hang. The print-only paper option is for your own framing.

How is it printed?
Each print is made to order, typically within 6 business days.