NEW YORK -- Through 60 years of peerless performance, Frank Sinatra was deemed an icon, a perfectly pressed symbol of American glamor and success.

But within that ineffable image, the man behind the fame -- the wise-cracking kid from Hoboken -- has lost his footing. Sinatra died nearly 17 years ago and over time, he has increasingly become measured by his work, and only his work.

His celebrity shell -- the unwavering figure portrayed on numerous album covers, film posters and in aging concert videos -- becomes his lone persona.

Sinatra would have turned 100 in December, and to commemorate his centennial birthday the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has arranged an exhibition that balances both the entertainer's opulent on-stage character and his human life, free of the spotlight.

"We've tried to contextualize (Sinatra's) career, so people can understand the life behind the legacy," said Bob Santelli, executive director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and the curator of this project, titled "Sinatra: An American Icon."

The exhibition opened Wednesday within the library's Donald and Marie Oenslager Gallery, and is the first-ever "Sinatra retrospective," Santelli said, with hundreds of artifacts including never-before-seen photos, family mementos, personal items, artwork and pieces of correspondence.

Sinatra's stage-worn tuxedo, circa 1980s. The new "Sinatra: An American Icon," exhibition, to honor the singer's legacy and 100th birthday, opens at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York March 4.

The exhibit is the first such showing with full cooperation from the Sinatra family, who opened organizers to the expansive Sinatra archive. "He was a bit of a pack rat," Santelli joked.

With access to all facets of the entertainer's existence, everything from gleaming Grammys and platinum records to worn belt buckles and bow ties are on display.

The free exhibition will run through Sept. 4. and this week's opening marks the commencement of a months-long Sinatra series at Lincoln Center featuring live music, film screenings and lectures. Monmouth University in West Long Branch will host a Sinatra panel discussion May 9. For a full schedule of events, visit the New York Public Library website.

Below are some of the new exhibition's must-see Sinatra items.

Near the back of the gallery plays a

A replicated

Frank Sinatra, center-row-left, and friends at the Jersey Shore circa 1930s. The new "Sinatra: An American Icon," exhibition, to honor the singer's legacy and 100th birthday, opens at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York March 4.

There's plenty

A vintage

Early in his career, Sinatra publicly supported

A vintage Capitol Records sound booth has been built within the exhibition, as Sinatra's recording of "Nice and Easy" plays. (Jonathan Blanc | The New York Public Library)

A handful of Sinatra's

Bear right in the gallery and find the exhibit's

Sinatra enjoyed painting as a form of relaxation, particularly in his later years. Several of his

The "Sinatra: An American Icon" exhibit. 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York. Free. (917) 275-6975 or nypl.org

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.