"Annie Leibovitz at Work" a must-see at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

A simple picture taken through a car windshield while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was a turning point in the college career of Annie Leibovitz. Eventually, she shifted from painting and pursued photography.

• Lucky for us.

Driving the news: Leibovitz walked media members through the temporary gallery of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Thursday, ahead of a sold-out lecture tonight and Saturday's opening of the "Annie Leibovitz At Work" exhibit.

State of play: In addition to images taken for Rolling Stone magazine — and many for the Rolling Stones on tour — the show includes new works made specifically for Crystal Bridges.

• Portraits of Stacey Abrams, Elon Musk, Lizzo, Salman Rushdie and the James Webb Space Telescope are just a few rotating on four huge screens.
• The new works will become part of the museum's permanent collection.
• The vital black-and-white photo through a windshield is included in the collection of prints.

🔥 Hot take: Even those who don't embrace photography should enjoy walking through this show.

• Leibovitz has taken pop-culture portraits of poets, royalty, and music and film stars; many of the images are simply iconic.
• Her use of light, both in studio and available, is impressive.
• The exhibit progresses nicely from small photos taken with a 35mm camera early in her career to recent large-format camera work.
• As much as images, recent history is on display. Be sure to allow sufficient time to view the collection.

Worthy of your time: Arkansas PBS will livestream the opening lecture with Leibovitz today at 6pm.

Go see it: "Annie Leibovitz at Work" will be on display at Crystal Bridges from Saturday through Jan. 29. Tickets are required.

• Admission is $12 for adults, but free for museum members, veterans and anyone under 18.

What's next: Following Crystal Bridges, Art & Object reports the exhibit will travel to The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina; Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California; Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee; and The Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, Kansas.

💭 Worth's thought bubble: Forget the celebs in her portraits — I was star-struck by Leibovitz herself.