Author Archives: Kristen Yraola
- Andy Warhol was known for being a man about town, and the following photos prove it. In the early 1980s, the King of Pop Art snapped Polaroids of top fashion icons, from former Interview intern André Leon Talley to the dashing éminence grise, Giorgio Armani, along with the captivating shot of Caroline, Princess of Monaco below, which ended up the cover of Vogue’s December 1983/January 1984 issue.
Caroline, Princess of Monaco
Caroline, Princess of Monaco (1983)
Polacolor ER
Est. $10,000 – $15,000
Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace (1980)
Polacolor Type 108
Est. $8,000-$12,000
Giorgio Armani
- Giorgio Armani (1981)
Polacolor Est. $8,000 – $12,000 - Tina Chow and André Leon Talley
-
Tina Chow and André Leon Talley (1980)
Gelatin silver print
Est. $3,000 – $5,000Donna Jordan
Donna Jordan
Polacolor Type 108 Est. $4,000-$6,000
All images © Christie’s Images / The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
See more at the Tribeca Grand Hotel‘s Pop-Up Exhibition in New York from September Sept 4 – 22, 2013.
- GUESS WHO? An All-Star Roundup of Warhol’s Fashion IconsTHE WARHOL QUESTIONNAIRE: Christene Barberich
“The most fashionable girls around town now are the girls of the night. They wear the most fashionable clothes,” Andy Warhol wrote in The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again. Christene Barberich, the editor-in-chief of Refinery 29, knows a thing or two about the latest trends, being that she runs “a lifestyle platform that delivers nonstop inspiration to live a more stylish and creative life”, as her website proudly states.
We’d like to think Andy would appreciate Barberich’s vision. At the very least, he’d be appreciative of her popularity, since Refinery 29 boasts one billion page views a year. “We infiltrate so many other parts of our readers’ lives beyond just clothes,” Barberich told Lauren Murrow in an interview with New York Magazine. We’re celebrating tastemakers and style icons in our new online-only auction, Warhol @ Christie’s: Always in Fashion (October 9-21), and we’re revisiting this interview we conducted last year with one of our favorite fashion mavens. Below, Barberich dishes on Diana Vreeland, ABBA’s hits, and self-esteem.
What was your first Warholian moment, and when did you first encounter him?
“It’s really hard to pin-point the MOMENT. I guess, though, as a teenager, in the ’80s, when everything in my life had to be saturated in bright colors and bold iconography, I remember being very drawn to those psychedelic grid images of Diane von Furstenberg or (hah!) Sigourney Weaver in the movie Working Girl. I will say, though, growing up on Long Island, I was always captivated by his house in Montauk…he was out there a million years before it was cool, when it was still wild and other-worldly. When Micky Drexler of J.Crew told me he’d bought that house, I almost fainted.”
What are your latest cultural obsessions?
“It’s more a constant than latest, but Terry Gross’s NPR show, Fresh Air. Many of them, like her last interview with Maurice Sendak, I listen to over and over again. And probably Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen…he reminds me how important it is not to give a shit what people think.”
What would you consider Warhol’s most memorable quote or anthem?
“Sometimes you’re invited to a big ball and for months you think about how glamorous and exciting it’s going to be. Then you fly to Europe and you go to the ball and when you think back on it a couple of months later what you remember is maybe the car ride to the ball, you can’t remember the ball at all. Sometimes the little times you don’t think are anything while they’re happening turn out to be what marks a whole period of your life. I should have been dreaming for months about the car ride to the ball and getting dressed for the car ride, and buying my ticket to Europe so I could take the car ride. Then, who knows, maybe I could have remembered the ball.”
If you could collaborate with Andy on a project, what would it be?
“A secret mantra that I would say every day.”
Dream night out on the town: you, Warhol, and…?
“Diana Vreeland or The Duchess of Windsor aka Wallis Simpson. Could I bring them both? I have to start planning my outfit right now…”
Imagine Warhol had a Twitter account. What kind of thing might he say in 140 characters or less?
“Where have all the pretzels gone…long time passing.”
Whose portrait would Andy most want to do now?
“Robyn or Kim Kardashian. I would hope for the former but it would likely be the latter.”
Favorite local watering hole?
“My kitchen window sill, first. The bar at Rucola in Brooklyn, second.”
Best party you ever attended or threw?
“Probably my 38th birthday party that my best friend threw in her old, creaky UWS apartment. There was pasta, a little weed, and a very strange and marvelous impromptu tango that was backlit and performed to the song Dancing Queen. There was a black velvet jumpsuit in there, too. I will never forget it.”
Andy once said, “I have social disease. I have to go out every night.” What about you—introvert or extrovert?
“It can go either way, it depends on who’s there and what’s on TV.”
Last party tune you downloaded?
“Hot Child In the City by Nick Gilder. Can you dance to that? I think so…”
Drag every day or only on special occasions?
“Only on special occasions. I like to have something to look forward to.”
(Photos of Christene by Ben Fink Shapiro.)
The Warhol Questionnaire: Ari Seth Cohen
Ari Seth Cohen, the founder of Advanced Style — the blog, book, and now a glorious coloring book — gives us a glimpse into a world where clothes pop at any age. (We’re guessing Andy would approve of this message.) As Cohen writes on his blog, “Respect your elders and let these ladies and gents teach you a thing or two about living life to the fullest.” Below you can find out which glamorous elders Ari would like to dine alongside, what outsider artist he reveres, and which American celebrity he thinks Andy would tackle now.
What was your first Warholian moment, and when did you first encounter him?
When I was a kid I went out for an audition for a commercial. The funny thing is that they noticed my grandmother and she got cast instead of me. She starred in a cable commercial and bought new carpet with the earnings. This made me pretty popular with the kids at school. I first encountered Warhol in museums as a kid.
What or who would be Andy’s muse if he were alive today?
Iris Apfel would be pretty great.
What are your latest cultural obsessions?
Outsider artist Eijiro Miyama, the Japanese grandfather who models women’s clothing for his granddaughter’s online store and always and forever this short film about a woman in Florida who used to make her own clothes called ” Irene Williams: The Queen of Lincoln Road.”
What would you consider Warhol’s most memorable quote or anthem?
“It would be very glamorous to be reincarnated as a great big ring on Liz Taylor’s finger.”
If you could collaborate with Andy on a project, what would it be?
A reality TV show about the lives of glamorous old ladies.
Dream dinner-party: you, Warhol, and…?
Vivienne Westwood, Anna Piaggi, My grandmother…
Whose portrait would Andy most want to do now?
The Obamas.
Soup can or coke bottle?
Soup can.
Drag every day or only on special occasions?
Every day.
Image: From Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen, published by powerHouse Books.
Diana Vreeland Shows Her Napoleonic Side In Vintage Vogue
Diana Vreeland Rampart (After Jacques Louis David, Napoleon at St. Bernard) (1984)
31 1/8 x 23 1/8 inches
Est. $25,000 – $35,000
Image: © 2013 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Andy turns Jacques-Louis David’s iconic 1803 painting of Napoleon Bonaparte crossing the Alps on its head with Diana Vreeland as the French military leader in Diana Vreeland Rampart (After Jacques Louis David, Napoleon at St. Bernard), originally published in the December 1984 edition of Vogue.
The detailed blue screenprint of a cloaked Vreeland shows the Vogue editrix facing forward, hand outstretched, (gesturing toward future fashion-related conquests, we suppose), riding a majestic horse. It is a direct copy of David’s original work, except unlike Napoleon, who gazes toward the viewer, Vreeland has no need of an audience. She rides alone, toward unknown horizons. Warhol was attuned to her status as a visionary, and perfectly evokes it in this piece, which is presented on handmade, watermarked paper.
See more at the Tribeca Grand Hotel‘s Pop-Up Exhibition in New York from September Sept 4 – 22, 2013.
POP-UP FASHION: Warhol’s Illustrations and Portraits At The Tribeca Grand
Christie’s is presenting an innovative pop-up exhibit of Warhol’s photographs and illustrations just in time for #NYFW.
From September 4-22, patrons at the Tribeca Grand can use tricked out tablets in the lobby to see Andy’s intimate portraits of Gianni Versace, André Leon Talley, Giorgio Armani, Princess Caroline of Monaco, and more. Meet the fashion icons on the available iPads or take a swipe at Warhol’s charming illustrations of must-have accessories that once graced the pages of today’s sartorial soothsayers, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Warhol at the Tribeca Grand runs from September 4-22, 2013, at 2 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013.
Check GrandLifeHotels.com for more information on the iPad viewing, and see our online-only sale here; bidding begins September 11.
Andy Warhol and the Business of Art
Andy Warhol understood that artistic success in the modern world requires not just talent and hard work, it requires business savvy. As he once said, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”
Preparation for that professional art world — the one Warhol understood so well — is exactly what Christie’s Education courses offer its students. So it’s fitting, perhaps, that faculty instructors Véronique Chagnon-Burke and Julie Reiss will offer a new and unique short course on Warhol’s art and market starting this October. Part lecture series, part behind-the-scenes pass to a wide range of art world institutions (including the Museum of Modern Art, Christie’s and the Lower East Side Printshop), this course will present Warhol as you’ve never seen him before.
Here, they recall their favorite Warhol moments and give us a preview of course highlights.
What’s your first memory involving Warhol or his work?
JULIE REISS: I grew up a block away from Max’s Kansas City, a restaurant frequented by Warhol and his entourage. When my mother didn’t feel like cooking, she would take my sister and me there for the free chickpeas and chicken wings. We were always the only kids there so I didn’t look around much, but I was probably ten feet away from Andy and didn’t even know it!
New York is filled with Warhol’s old haunts: Where should people go to retrace his steps?
JR: Start at 33 Union Square West, the second site of Warhol’s Factory. Continue up to Midtown and Serendipity 3, one of Warhol’s favorite sweet shops. End your tour at Castelli Gallery, now located at 18 E. 77th St. While you’re there, walk past the original location of the Leo Castelli Gallery at 4 E. 77th St., where Warhol held several shows.
If you could travel back to any moment from Warhol’s career or personal life, what would it be? Why?
VÉRONIQUE CHAGNON-BURKE: The opening of the “Flower” show at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1964 and the dinner Ethel and Robert Scull hosted following the show in their Fifth Avenue apartment. It’d be fascinating to see the major New York art world players of the time — all of whom were at the top of their game — and Andy would have been at the center of this.
Christie’s Education faculty instructors, Julie Reiss
and Véronique Chagnon-Burke; © Christie’s Images
Tell us more about the course. What are you looking forward to the most?
VC: The course will give people behind-the-scenes access to Christie’s — we’ll be speaking with Christie’s specialists throughout the course about everything from curating the Andy Warhol @ Christie’s online sales to the ins-and-outs of Warhol’s market.
JR: We’ll also be visiting the Lower East Side Printshop, where a master printmaker will demonstrate the silkscreen process firsthand. Through our exclusive, private tour at the Museum of Modern Art, we’ll explore some of Warhol’s most important masterpieces.
What makes this course unique?
VC: The focus of this course — understanding not only Warhol’s works but also his market — is something you won’t find anywhere else.
Five Ways To Celebrate Warhol on His 85th Birthday
We’re obviously big fans of Andy Warhol here at Christie’s, and we wanted to share some things you can do to celebrate the Pop King’s 85th birthday this August 6th. Here’s five ways to spend the day in style.
1. SEE ANDY’S RESTING PLACE IN REAL TIME:
“I always thought I’d like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph and no name. Well, actually, I’d like it to say “figment,” Warhol reportedly once said. See a live feed of the artist’s grave site via a collaboration between EarthCam and The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. “Figment” is billed as a collaborative multimedia project where viewers can experience the sights and sounds of Warhol’s grave, along with a live stream of the church where he was baptized. Get ready for “one-of-a-kind artwork with Warholian image effects and color palettes,” ARTINFO reports.
We can’t wait.
Image: © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. All Rights Reserved.
2. READ BETWEEN THE LINES IN THESE BIOGRAPHIES:
Read Factory Superstar Edie Sedgwick’s biography, American Girl. This international best-seller by Jean Stein — and edited by Paris Review founder George Plimpton — is sure to delight numerous Warhol fans via interviews with art world insiders and hangers on at the Factory. Pop Art kingpin Ivan Karp tells Stein, “I was fascinated by his curious and elusive presence.” Fans can also take a page from by Bob Colacello and read his book, Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up.
Image: © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. All Rights Reserved.
3. GO GLOBAL:
Get free admission today (August 6) for“Andy Warhol. Life, Death and Beauty” at the Zaha Hadid-designed Heydar Aliyev Centre in… Azerbaijan!
Image: © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. All Rights Reserved.
4. GET A BITE AT A FACTORY HAUNT:
Urban-dwelling Americans and Brits can head to their local Mr. Chow location, where Andy was a regular (though it’s debatable whether he actually consumed the food).
Image: © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. All Rights Reserved.
5. WATCH A MOVIE (AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN):
See the largest installation of Warhol’s media works – including The Chelsea Girls (1966) and Screen Tests (1964-66) — at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh today.
Image: © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. All Rights Reserved.
SEE IT / BUY IT / OWN IT:
For more on all things Warhol, head to our Aspen pop-up sale in collaboration with 212 Gallery, register to bid, and see more online auctions here.
Drag Performer Jackie Beat’s Wall of Warhols
Jackie Beat knows a good looking hunk of man flesh when she sees one. And as one of the world’s premiere drag artists (Roseanne Barr called her “the greatest”), she knows a thing or two about style and about pushing boundaries. Christie’s wanted her take on a collection of Warhol images being offered in an upcoming sale: “For Members Only: Eyes on the Guise,” a large collection of gay-pride-themed drawings and images by the gender-bending master of Pop Art — some racy, some reserved, each a celebration of male sexuality in all its forms.
As Beat told us recently for one of our Warholian Questionnaires, she was first seduced by one of Andy’s album covers: “As a young homosexual, I remember being downright entranced by the album cover for The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers, looking at it over and over and over again,” she said. “When I got a little older, I became obsessed with the movie Andy Warhol’s BAD. As Susan Tyrrell says at the end, ‘Looks aren’t everything.'”
Beat’s selection reflects the genuine impact Warhol’s art and personality had on her life — in turns erotic, historic and sensitive. Here are the ten she loved most, accompanied by quotes culled from the deep well of Andy’s wit and wisdom:
