Andy Warhol's Exposures
| Author | Andy Warhol Bob Colacello |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Published | 1979 |
| Publication place | United States |
| ISBN | 9780448128504 |
Exposures is a 1979 book by the American artist Andy Warhol and his collaborator Bob Colacello. The first edition of the book was published by Andy Warhol Books, an imprint of Grosset & Dunlap.
Background
Pop artist Andy Warhol was a photography enthusiast who famously carried around a Polaroid camera in the 1970s.[1] He used Polaroids as the basis of his commissioned silkscreen portraits.[2][3]
In 1976, Warhol and Bob Colacello, editor of Warhol's Interview magazine, both purchased a Minox 35EL camera while they were in Bonn. Considering the amount of traveling they did, Warhol suggested that they should do a photography book together with the photos they took at social events and business trips.[4] Warhol liked how small and sleek the camera looked, comparing it to a "'spy' camera because it takes pictures without arousing the notice of the subject."[5]
Photographer Christopher Makos was hired as the art director for the book to do the layout.[4]
Content
The book chronicles the activities of Warhol's friends and acquaintances through photographs and stories of his interactions with them. The subjects include Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger, Truman Capote, Jackie Onassis, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Calvin Klein, Muhammad Ali, Diana Vreeland, and Yves Saint Laurent among others.[6] "I have a Social Disease. I have to go out every night," said Warhol in the book. He told the Chicago Tribune, "Most of the people we took are people we see all the time … It's a business, but then you become best friends with some of them. I like everyone to be my best friend, but I try not to get too involved."[6]
However, many of the stories in the book were Colacello's and he recalled in his book Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Up Close that this caused some resentment: "I hated the fact that I was ghostwriting again, that every time I typed 'I' it was Andy, not me. When I'd worked on the Philosophy book that had seemed liberating, but now it felt humiliating, especially since the stories 'I' was telling were mine, not Andy's. In some cases. I put Andy at scenes where only I had been. It was a form of lying of course, but there was no other way to write an Andy Warhol book, no more Warhol way."[4]
Release
Warhol and Colacello formed a co-publishing company, Andy Warhol Books, which was marketed and distributed by Grosset & Dunlap. They received 50% of the profits and a $35,000 advance but they had to pay the production costs. Production took longer than anticipated and most of their advance was used to cover the expenses.[4]
The book was released on October 15, 1979.[5] Warhol went on a 3-week book tour to promote Exposures.[7]
Reception
Paul Weingarten of the Chicago Tribune wrote: "The book is a paean to the 'glitterati' who flock to Studio 54 and all the chic watering holes. Its text is breathlessly gossipy, and its pictures, all black and white (he hasn't learned to take color ones yet), chronicle the antics of Warhol's acquaintances and friends."[6]
References
- ^ Sabulis, Thomas (1979-08-18). "Andy Warhol at Polaroid". The Boston Globe. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Tucker, Priscilla (1979-11-19). "Off the wall exposures". Daily News. p. 53. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "Warhol's Polaroids". Port Magazine. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ a b c d Colacello, Bob (1990). Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 330–331, 418–419. ISBN 978-0-06-016419-5.
- ^ a b Mitgang, Herbert (1979-08-19). "Book Talk". Democrat and Chronicle. pp. 9C. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ a b c Weingarten, Paul (1979-12-08). "Famous and Andy: Warhol pens a paean to favorite 'glitterati'". Chicago Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York: Warner Books. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-446-51426-2Entry date: December 4, 1979
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