Get a rare glimpse into the everyday life of Pop superstar Andy Warhol at New York’s Maison Gerard gallery’s new exhibition “Two Days in the Life of Andy…,” opening Thursday.
In the spring of 1981, as Warhol prepared for “Myths,” his exhibition that fall at New York’s Ronald Feldman Gallery, he spent two days with Robert Levin, a fine art photographer on assignment for Germany’s Stern magazine. Levin followed Warhol everywhere, from the artist’s work at the Factory, to various adventures across the city, including a bike ride in the East Village.
The exhibition showcases 15 of the black-and-white photographs taken over the course of the two-day session. This is the first time the images, which offer an intimate window into the famed artist’s extraordinary life, have been shown in the US.
The photos, said Maison Gerard managing partner Benoist F. Drut in a statement, “observe a side of Warhol that has never been revealed by any other photographer, which is fascinating for someone who was such a public figure, and constantly being recorded.”
Unexpected moments include a run-in with filmmaker and artist John Waters on Madison Avenue, and snaps from an almost surreal-looking treatment session at the Janet Sartin Spa.
“Warhol had a lifelong obsession with appearance and beauty regimes, he was fanatical about his dermatologist and skin care, so for historians and collectors these images are going to be particularly interesting,” noted exhibition curator and Warhol expert and collector James Hedges in a statement.
Only a handful of the photographs, shot on black-and-white Kodak Tri-X film, were ever published by Stern, and the other 11 rolls of film lay forgotten for some 34 years. Now, these images, brought to light in New York will offer an unprecedentedly candid look at the day-to-day activities of one of the world’s most iconic artists.
See more photos from the exhibition here.
“Two Days in the Life of Andy…” will be on view at Maison Gerard gallery, 43 and 53 East 10th Street, New York December 10, 2015–January 7, 2016.