Polaroid Celebrities

In part because of Warhol's growing concern that he would run afoul of copyright law by using existing photos made by others, his later commissioned portraits almost always started with Polaroids that he made himself. In 1970 he began to work with a Polaroid SX-70 Big Shot, a simple camera that provided him with something like a portable photobooth, its flash effectively smoothing out the features of his sitters. Even after Polaroid ceased manufacturing the camera, Warhol continued to use it, and Polaroid executives, recognizing a publicity benefit, volunteered to maintain or replace his Big Shots.

A Warhol portrait session followed a set routine. The sitter would be invited to Warhol's studio for lunch to "break the ice" with the artist and other guests. Female sitters then had makeup applied by Warhol or by a makeup artist: a thick coat of chalk-white foundation meant to eradicate any imperfections and guarantee a youthful, flawless look. With the sitter posed in front of a white wall, Warhol made a series of Polaroid exposures, from which he would eventually select one to use as the basis of a silkscreen painting. The usual result was less a portrait of a real individual than a timeless, iconic imageóan effect not simply flattering but adoring.

After 1977, when he became a regular at the legendary nightspot Studio 54, Warhol used this technique to create lush portraits of the movie stars, fashion designers, pop musicians, and models whom he met there. For the covers of Warhol's magazine Interview, illustrator Richard Bernstein developed a similar portrait style that directly reflected Warhol's influence.