Group of artists, actors, musicians, and models associated with Andy Warhol in the 1960s
Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted byAndy Warhol during the 1960s and 1970s.[1] They spent time with Warhol at his studiothe Factory, appeared in his films, and accompanied him in public around New York. They were known for casual sex, public nudity, and flaunting homosexuality. They came to symbolize thesexual revolution of the time.[2]
The first recognized superstar wasBaby Jane Holzer, whom Warhol featured in many of his early film experiments. The superstars would help Warhol generate publicity while Warhol offered fame and attention in return. Warhol's philosophies of art and celebrity met in a way that imitated the Hollywoodstudio system at its height in the 1930s and 1940s.[3]
Warhol's studio,The Factory, played host to most of his superstars and as his experiments in film continued, he became more interested in thebohemian eccentrics attracted to the studio.[4] Some of the most important superstars to emerge from the period of the first Factory—known as the 'Silver Factory' because the walls were covered with silver foil—includeGerard Malanga,Taylor Mead,Billy Name,Ondine,Brigid Berlin,Mary Woronov, andEric Emerson.
Among the best-known of Warhol's superstars wasEdie Sedgwick.[5] She and Warhol became very close in 1965, but their relationship ended abruptly early in the next year. Warhol would continue to promote new superstars such asIngrid Superstar,Nico andInternational Velvet.
The 1966 filmChelsea Girls, about life amongst the superstars atHotel Chelsea, was notable for finding success beyond New York City underground arthouse scene.[6]
Warhol and his entourage often occupied the back room ofMax's Kansas City.[7] He traded art for credit with the ownerMickey Ruskin, and he allowed members of his coterie to use his charge account.[8][9]
The age of the Warhol superstar faded as Warhol returned to painting, but a few appear in the last Warhol-produced film,Bad (1977), directed by his loverJed Johnson.[13]
