As iconic for his colourful pop art prints as he was for his forward-thinking approach to art and the celebrity, Andy Warhol was never one to shy away from any medium when it came to his art, and the Polaroid was no exception, soon becoming an integral part of his art and the work process that went into creating those iconic screen-prints.
Andy Warhol Polaroids takes a look at Warhol’s unbridled love of the Polaroid. Never one to be seen without a camera, his beloved Polaroid camera soon became one of his tools of choice, whether it was snapshots documenting his art, photos of friends, or production shots used to create his latest screen-prints, documenting a slice of life in The Factory and beyond, and peeling back the layers of his work, giving you an in depth look at the process behind some of his most iconic works.
His cult approach to his work often saw him taking on the celebrity for some of his most famous works, from Marilyn Monroe to Debbie Harry and even Alfred Hitchcock just a mere selection of the celebrities, actors and performers whom he often rubbed shoulders with documented inside. From candid Polaroid shots of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his pre-Terminator bodybuilding heyday, to a young Sylvester Stallone and a snapshot of Lana Turner, even the glitterati of Hollywood wanted to be captured and documented in his works.
At a time when the Polaroid has become much more of a digital product compared to its classic instant film days, it’s a great snapshot of this iconic product, as well as an insightful look behind the scenes into Warhol’s work process. With many photos that you’ll instantly recognise from some of his most famous pieces of work, to others that you won’t have seen before, it’s a great collection of his Polaroid shots throughout his career, as well as a peek at a time long before the selfie became the norm, making for a great read for any Warhol fan.
ANDY WARHOL POLAROIDS 1958 -1987 / AUTHOR: RICHARD B. WOODWARD / EDITOR: REUEL GOLDEN / PUBLISHER: TASCHEN GMBH / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
