Allen Beaulieu – The Photographer Who Captured Prince’s Purple Dawn

GlamSlamEscape
18 hours ago
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From Dirty Mind to 1999: Intimate, iconic images from Prince’s most electric era, as seen through the lens of his trusted Minneapolis collaborator

Photographer Allen Beaulieu worked with Prince from the late ’70s into the early ’80s, capturing the musician’s progression from being a rising star to his ultimate purple superstardom. Always at Prince’s side, with a camera in hand, Beaulieu helped Prince carry forward his vision with legendary album cover images and promotional photos during the groundbreaking Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 eras while also capturing live performances on tour with Prince. Many of these photographs are candid and raw. You can be a witness to lots of behind-the-scenes events and actions.

Al also work with the Time, and Vanity 6.

“Working with Al was very natural; it flowed. The magic of how Al worked - and I think it’s the thing that really appealed to Prince - he had a way of conducting things along without being overbearing or reducing people to action figures or something. It was very organic, and he managed to pull something out of this disparate set of human beings.” - Dez Dickerson

Allen Beaulieu is a Minneapolis-based photographer renowned for his close

collaboration with Prince during the musician's formative years in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He served as Prince's primary photographer, capturing iconic album covers for Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (inner sleeves) (1982), as well as promotional photos and candid shots. Beaulieu toured extensively with Prince, documenting live performances and behind-the-scenes moments, providing a raw and intimate portrayal of Prince's rise from a rising star to superstardom. His work highlights Prince's edgy, creative phase on the cusp of mega-fame, including events like a 1980 Rolling Stones concert where Prince faced backlash from the audience.

In 2018, Beaulieu released the book Prince: Before the Rain, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. This 224-page hardcover features never-before-seen candid and casual photographs from that era, including intimate portraits, backstage moments, and album session shots. The book includes Beaulieu's personal recollections of his professional and friendly relationship with Prince, along with contributions from former bandmates such as Bobby Z., Dez Dickerson, and André Cymone.

It has received high praise, with a 4.8 out of 5-star rating from 529 global reviews on Amazon, and is considered a must-have for Prince fans due to its stunning photography and high-quality printing.

Beaulieu's work has been exhibited, including at the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota. In 2022, he was involved in a years-long legal dispute over rights to an abandoned Prince photobook project, as reported by The Art Newspaper.

Al currently (2026) has an online store where some of Prince's iconic images can be purchased.

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