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Andy Warhol's Red Books

Written by Bob Roberts

Polaroids expose '70s glitterati

Micl Jagger©The Andy Warhol Foundation

One of the most enigmatic figures in American art is revisited in Paris this spring via an exhibition of his Polaroids, at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie.

Although photography isn't what immediately comes to mind when we think of Andy Warhol's work, this medium is central to his creative vision. His Pop Art silkscreen prints recycled popular photographic imagery turning many of its protagonists into icons. Warhol initially appropriated images such as his celebrated Marilyn and Elvis series from magazines and advertising. But, by the early '60s he'd started integrating his own pictures. Although his use of photography has long been recognized, it is only recently that these pictures have come to be considered on their own terms rather than merely as a means to an end.

Andy Warhol acquired his first Polaroid camera in the early '60s. At first, he concentrated on pictures of male nudes. But, when he got his hands on the easy to use Polaroid Big Shot Camera in 1970, he turned to portraits. For Warhol the act of taking a picture became an event. His subjects were often visitors or guests at his "Factory" studio that included a coterie of beautiful bohemians with names like Viva, Candy Darling and Ultra Violet.

The Polaroid was well suited to the much-quoted Warholian dictum that "in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." If Warhol liked a picture it would get turned into an acetate, which could eventually be used to make a silkscreen print. Celebrity intrigued him. Many of his pictures captured private moments of public figures such as Truman Capote and John Lennon. He photographed Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver long before they married.
The Polaroid camera combined two of Andy Warhol's obsessions - the disposable nature of modern consumerism and the photograph as ready-made. Warhol produced tens of thousands of instant photographs during the 1970s. He established a rigorous system of cataloging. He would take the Polaroids home, edit and sequence them, and then enter them in individual red Holson Polaroid albums. These albums, with Warhol's original sequences and themes, have remained intact and are the basis for this Parisian show.

"Red Books" is also the name of a collection of Andy Warhol Polaroids published by Steidl. Altogether, 11 of the artist's Holson Polaroid albums are packaged in a red wooden box. Each book contains a facsimile reproduction of a sequence. The themes include a study of Paloma Picasso, a day trip to Montauk, Mick Jagger, the "Asshole" painting, and John and Yoko.

Although Warhol's Polaroids were never intended to be viewed as art themselves, they provide a valuable insight into the creative process of the artist behind the camera - revealing more about him than his more technically elaborate work.

Andy Warhol's Red Books, April 2005, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 5-7 rue de Fourcy, 4e, M° St-Paul, tel: 01 44 78 75 00, 6E/3E

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