Behind closed doors with Andy Warhol’s right-hand man
Throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s, Bob Colacello was synonymous with America’s VIP culture.
As Andy Warhol’s trusted right-hand man, the writer, editor and photographer was firmly embedded in high society, accompanying the pop artist to lofty parties, full of designers, politicians and film stars.
It was at these gatherings that Colacello took the photos that make up Pictures From Another Time, a new exhibition currently showing at New York’s Vito Schnabel gallery.
Working with a Minox 35 EL – the camera favoured by spies during the Cold War – he shot some of pop culture’s most significant figures, capturing them as partied together.
“I liked to be in the middle of the party, and to give that feeling to the viewer,” he says.
“Many of my best photos, I think, are multilayered, with faces half-blocked by a waving hand or overly large hairdo. I often deliberately tilted the camera to create the sensation of being caught in a crush or slightly tipsy.”
Pictures From Another Time features the likes of Liza Minnelli, Cher, Truman Capote and Mick Jagger – as well as Warhol himself – taken at events that range from late-night jaunts at Studio 54 to presidential inaugurations.
And, though he shared his taste in cameras with agents of espionage, Colacello – who wrote for the likes of Village Voice and Vanity Fair, and edited Interview from 1971 to 1983 – never saw his work as covert. (“No one seemed to care, because I was the editor of Interview magazine, not an invasive paparazzo.”)
Together, the images form a candid portrait of a bygone era. As far as Colacello is concerned, it’s a series that wouldn’t be possible in today’s age.
“Well, I’d be competing with everybody’s phone,” he says. “And [nowadays] people tend to mix it up a lot less, to stick with their own kind, whether that be class, race, religion, sexual preference, political party, or profession. Such a bore! And intrinsically divisive.”
Pictures From Another Time is showing at New York’s Vito Schnabel gallery until June 21, 2019.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
Photos of friends, lovers and afters in Berlin’s party scene
Dreams and How to Keep Them – Vincent Wechselberger’s new monograph documents a decade of hedonism in the German capital, and the people he met along the way.
Inside the Los Angeles scene kid revival
The Rawring ’20s — For the cover of Huck 84, photographer Alexis Gross and writer Anna Zanes meet the latest faces of scene, who are finding freedom to express themselves through its technicolour, unafraid aesthetic.
Introducing our new issue of Huck Magazine: It Starts With Us
Huck 84 — For our second 20th anniversary issue, we spotlight 20 people and groups providing the world with a hopeful future.
The sharp rise of video game photography
Point, shoot — As the entertainment medium’s fidelity levels increase and developers build more powerful tools, a growing community of gamers are pushing the boundaries of image making in virtual worlds. Vicky Jessop meets people at the forefront of the emerging artform.
Joyous photos from the heart of the UK’s radical free festival movement
Common Grounds — The photographer has been capturing British counterculture for the past half century. A new exhibition looks at his archive sitting at the intersection of music, community and grassroots protest.
The lasting community legacy of a legendary Californian boxing gym
Moretón — Since opening in the ’80s, the Coachella Valley Boxing Club has trained multiple world champions, while providing a vital hub for local youth. In his new photobook, Darren Vargas documents its tight-knit, Chicano-led community, while also weaving a deeply personal story.
