“My idea of a good picture is one that’s in focus and of a famous person,” declared Andy Warhol, the Pope of Pop. What could be easier than shooting quick-to-see Polaroid prints of celebrity pals that arrived daily on his “factory” doorstep? Andy’s also ironically remembered for stating, “Photographers feel guilty that all they do for a living is press a button,” which is exactly what he did for his instantaneous snapshots of Debbie Harry, Diana Ross, Yoko Ono, Dolly Parton, Schwarzenegger, and other boldface names currently assembled for Andy Warhol: Big Shot at New York’s Danziger Projects.
Of course, most of Warhol’s small-scale Polaroid pictures were never meant to be the end result of his creative act; they were source material, which would be blown-up and embellished in the artist’s eye-catching silkscreen canvases. But what were once artifacts can now be appreciated for what they are, picture of society big shots — folks that have accumulated more than their share of Andy’s notable “15 minutes of fame.”
Andy Warhol: Big Shots is on view at Danziger Projects through February 26.
Click through below for a gallery of images.
Andy Warhol, photo by Andy Warhol
Debbie Harry, photo by Andy Warhol
Dennis Hopper, photo by Andy Warhol
Farrah Fawcett, photo by Andy Warhol
Arnold Schwarzenegger, photo by Andy Warhol
Yoko Ono, photo by Andy Warhol
Robert Mapplethorpe, photo by Andy Warhol
Dolly Parton, photo by Andy Warhol
Julian Schnabel, photo by Andy Warhol
Jerry Hall, photo by Andy Warhol
Bianca Jagger, photo by Andy Warhol
Halston, photo by Andy Warhol
Diana Ross, photo by Andy Warhol
Diana Vreeland, photo by Andy Warhol
Diane von Furstenberg, photo by Andy Warhol