Brigid Berlin Polaroids, released by Reel Art Press, is an insider’s portrait of Andy Warhol’s Factory and New York’s art and underground scene. Brigid was Andy Warhol’s best friend and one of the most prominent and colorful members of the Factory. Her Polaroid collection is somewhat legendary and is collected in this book for the first time. The vast majority of Polaroids have been kept, unseen, in storage boxes since the 1960s and 70s, until now.
This authentic and immersive picture of what was going on in the Factory is a virtual Who’s Who of that time. As director John Waters writes in a foreword, “The Polaroids here show just how wide Brigid’s world was; her access was amazing. She was never a groupie, always an insider.” Brigid knew everyone and her lens captured them all: celebrities, Superstars, artists, herself, and, of course, Warhol. From Lou Reed, Nico, Diana Vreeland, Patti Smith and Dennis Hopper, to Warhol regulars such as Gerard Malanga, Viva and Ultra Violet. Her portraits also offer a walk through art history, including DeKooning, Brice Marden, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly and more. Through her snaps, “Andy was uncovered and revealed like never before.” Her photographs of him expose the rare intimacy of closest friends.
In this foreword, John Waters discusses his adoration for Brigid – the rich debutante turned bad girl – writing that she “was always my favorite underground movie star; big, often naked, and ornery as hell.” She was “the ultimate cool part- time fag hag who also slept with the cute straight boys … so chic, so defiant … Hippies jumped out of her way in fear. I was awestruck. I still am.” Brigid Berlin Polaroids is a wild photographic odyssey providing an intimate, beautiful, outrageous and darkly witty insight into this iconic period.
Brigid Berlin Polaroids
Published by Reel Art Press
Deluxe limited edition, 100 signed and numbered copies – $950 / £650
http://www.reelartpress.com/
