Portraits of Painters, part 1

Here's the first installment of my favourite portraits of painters.

Claes Oldenburg by Robert R. McElroy, 1961

In this 1966 shot of Bernard Buffet, Jean Mounicq is as interested in the light reflecting on the paint as he is in the silhouette of the painter.

An outstanding portrait by Dudley Reed of painter Emma Sergeant at work. This was for Tatler in 1984, but I haven't been able to track down the painting, and who her model might be.

Helen Frankenthaler by John Marmaras, 1972. In her studio on East Eighty Third Street, painting "What we really are, we really ought to be". Against the walls: "I Am Your Blue Mountain", "Filming", "Spirits of Wine".

Pierre Soulages by Johann Rousselot, 2014

Ad Reinhardt by John Loengard, New York, 1966

Grace Hartigan by Gordon Parks, 1957

Jean-Paul Riopelle by Yousuf Karsh, 1965

Gisèle Freund's colourful shot of Pierre Bonnard's palette. This is a C-print: resin-coated chromogenic colour print on Kodak paper.

"Purple in the greys," Bonnard wrote in Observations sur la peinture, "Vermilion red in the orange shadows, on a cold clear day."

Sam Gilliam by Anthony Barboza, 1980

Hans Hofmann by Andreas Feininger, 1957

Pablo Picasso by Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1953

Jean-Michel Basquiat by Evelyn Hofer, 1985

Frida Kahlo by Nickolas Muray, 1941

Nina Leen, "The Irascibles", 1951

Front row: Theodoros Stamos, Jimmy Ernst, Barnett Newman, James Brooks, Mark Rothko; middle row: Richard Pousette-Dart, William Baziotes, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, Robert Motherwell, Bradley Walker Tomlin; back row: Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Ad Reinhardt, Hedda Sterne

Portraits from a Rock & Roll photographer

I'm reading Bob Gruen's 2020 book Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer. Here are some of my favourite Gruen portraits.

The photo spread over the back & front cover of Bob Gruen's book is his self-portrait taken in an airplane bathroom enroute to Japan during a KISS tour, in 1977.

John Lennon by Bob Gruen, NY, 1974

A testimonial from Yoko Ono:

"Bob's magical photos and brilliantly telling captions together present a kaleidoscope of John Lennon's New York Period. It is beautiful, clear, and truthful. I know. I was there."

More John Lennon from Bob Gruen, 1974

Debbie Harry by Bob Gruen, 1978

Good colours for this car: two-tone powder blue & white. Great colour scheme with Harry's outfit & the New Jersey sky.

Sid Vicious by Bob Gruen, 1978

David Cassidy by Bob Gruen, Monticello NY, 1971

"Cassidy looked good in those pictures: long, tousled hair, an impish smile, eyes the color of some warm, placid sea. He seemed holy."

- Amanda Petrusich

Robert Plant by Bob Gruen, New York, May 1974

Bob Gruen's shot of The Ramones at CBGB, April 1979

David Byrne and Andy Warhol by Bob Gruen, August 1978

John Lennon, Wayne Tex Gabriel of Elephants Memory and Mick Jagger recording at The Record Plant, New York. October 1972.

Bob Gruen's shot of the late Jeff Beck, from a 1975 concert in Japan.

Marc Bolan by Bob Gruen, New York, 1971

Here's a treat: David Kaff (Viv Savage), Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel), R. J. Parnell (Mick Shrimpton), Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls) and Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins) of Spinal Tap, in a shot taken by Bob Gruen, backstage at CBGB, May 6, 1984.

Joan Jett by Bob Gruen; taken at a show by The Runaways at The Place in Dover, New Jersey, March 1977.

Bob Gruen's shot of Patti Smith and Lou Reed at The Ocean Club, New York, July 1976.

Stevie Wonder by Bob Gruen, Detroit, September 28, 1974.

Prince by Bob Gruen, MSG, New York, March 1985

Joe Strummer, Terry Chimes, Mick Jones & Paul Simonon of The Clash by Bob Gruen, New York, 1982. This is the Cadillac the group drives around in in the "Should I Stay or Should I Go" video.

Bob Gruen took this shot of John & Yoko on December 6, 1980. 

"People were hurrying to work around them, and John and Yoko were standing confident and ready to face the world, to start another day."

Two days later John Lennon was killed. 

Gruen tells this story in his book: "The day after the murder, when Yoko told Sean his father was dead, Sean said, 'Now he's everywhere'."

Portraits from Andyland

Some of my favourite photographs of Andy Warhol, and the beautiful people and odd ducks who flocked around him.

Steve Schapiro's 1965 shot of Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol and their entourage

Andy Warhol by Robert Mapplethorpe, 1986

Jon Naar's portrait of Andy Warhol on a red sofa in his Silver Factory is probably his best-known photograph. It was first published in the New York Herald Tribune magazine, August 4, 1965

Andy Warhol by Marie Cosindas, 1966

"To capture Andy Warhol in natural light, she shifted a pile of junk blocking a fire door at the Factory, then moved Mr. Warhol onto the ledge, his back to the fire escape. The resulting image pulsated with louche glamour."

- William Grimes

A great shot by Jon Naar of Edie Sedgwick at Andy Warhol's Silver Factory, 1965

Inge Morath's shot of Andy Warhol with Louise Bourgeois, New York, 1987

Andy Warhol in his Factory at Union Square, by Thomas Hoepker, 1981

Baby Jane Holzer wears an Andy Warhol mask at the opening of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, by Catherine McGann, 1994

Nico, Andy Warhol, Gerard Malanga and John Cale by Herve Gloaguen, New York, 1966

Andy Warhol by Bob Adelman. He's outside The Factory on 47th Street, 1965.

Susan Bottomly and Andy Warhol by Carl Fischer, 1966

Andy Warhol, Gerard Malanga, Edie Sedgwick & Chuck Wein at the Hôtel Royale Bison, Paris, by Harry Shunk & János Kender, May 1965

Andy Warhol by Sally Soames, 1970

"I took it in his factory in New York. I put him in a big window – he was very uncomfortable with the camera."

On impulse, she opened the window so the glass was between them and took the shot through it.

Andy Warhol & Debbie Harry by Chris Stein

Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick & Chuck Wein by Burt Glinn, 1965

Edie Sedgwick by Jerry Schatzberg, 1966

All eyes are on Warhol Superstar Baby Jane Holzer, named 'The Girl of the Year' by Andy Warhol.

She's at the Peppermint Lounge, where the music is by Herman's Hermits. A photograph by Don Paulsen, c. 1965.

Cecil Beaton takes a photo in The Factory, April 24, 1969: Andy Warhol with Ingrid Superstar, Candy Darling, Ultra Violet & Brigid Berlin. A great shot by Village Voice photographer Fred W. McDarrah.

Brigid Berlin, Andy Warhol & Gerard Malanga at The Factory, by Steve Schapiro, 1963

My favourite photo of Brigid Berlin, a polaroid by Vincent Fremont, c. 1970.

"Hail Brigid, full of attitude, Warhol is with thee. Blessed are thou among superstars and blessed is the fruit of blue blood privilege."

- John Waters

Formal Andy! A nice portrait by Nancy R. Schiff, 1981

Fred W. McDarrah's shot of a launch party for 'Silver Flower Koo,' a book of poetry by Charles Henri Ford, March 6, 1968. 

Bottom row: Penelope Tree, Johnathan Lieberson, Andy Warhol and Fred Hughes

Second row: Florence Jacobs, Al Hansen, Charles Henri Ford, Kenneth King and Ruth Ford

Third row: Willoughby Sharp , Ultra Violet, Frances Steloff, Paul Morrissey, Jason Fishbein, Taylor Mead, Donna Kerness, Sally Chamberlain and Ron Zimardi

Back row: Bob Cowan on the ladder, Ken Jacobs, John Wilcock and Wynn Chamberlain

Andy Warhol shoots his film 'Taylor Mead's Ass' at The Factory, September 5, 1964. Another shot by Fred W. McDarrah.

Gloria Swanson & Andy Warhol at a Cartier party, by Bob Colacello, c. 1975. I love this photograph!

Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin & Tim Buckley at Max's Kansas City. Photo by Elliott Landy, 1968.

One of my favourite Andy Warhol photographs. Bob Adelman took this at Gristedes Market in New York City, 1965

An unexpected photograph of C. Z. Guest by Andy Warhol, c. 1976-86. I wonder if Andy ever got on a horse.

And finally, David LaChapelle's "Andy Warhol: Last Sitting", November 22, 1986