Andy Warhol Factory

Raeanne Rubenstein: "Andy, The Factory and Me" at The Frist

Raeanne Rubenstein is approaching her 11th year as editor of the Nashville-based online entertainment and style monthly Dish magazine (dishmag.com), soon to publish its 125th issue. What her East Nashville neighbors may not know is her staggering background as a celebrity photojournalist in 1970s and ’80s New York, when she covered many of the most striking figures of the era for Rolling Stone , the Village Voice and other publications. (Early photos she took of Pink Floyd’s lanky 1970s personnel, who almost banged their heads getting to her walkup flat, will be seen soon on the covers of Mojo and the French edition of Rolling Stone .) Among her frequent subjects was Andy Warhol, whom she photographed for more than a decade at his Factory studio. As a subject, Rubenstein says, he never told her what to think or shoot, even when — in one memorable photo — she asked him to pretend he was Muhammad Ali in the ring. “It’s the funniest picture ever,” Rubenstein remembers, laughing, on a flight from L.A. as the pilot issues instructions in the background. “He was trying to look so fearsome, and he looked so cute!” Instead, he gave himself over to her as a subject without comment — a screen onto which she was free to project. “The pictures I took of Andy Warhol are 100 percent me,” Rubenstein says. Rubenstein taps into her treasure chest of photos and memories twice this week: at a lecture sponsored by the Frist Center in conjunction with its sensational Warhol retrospective, and at Tinney Contemporary, where her Warhol photographs remain on display this month. Watch also for a reminiscence in Dish .

All contents © 1995-2011 City Press LLC, 210 12th Ave. S., Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37203. (615) 244-7989.
All rights reserved. No part of this service may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of City Press LLC,
except that an individual may download and/or forward articles via email to a reasonable number of recipients for personal, non-commercial purposes.

Andy Warhol Is In Town

There’s a new face in Union Square. An old face actually, looking new in bright and shiny chrome. It’s actually been there since March of this year but I just noticed it the other day. It’s the Andy Warhol Monument. How funny does that sound? I wonder what he would think if he were alive and he saw this silver statue of himself right at the northwest corner of Union Square. His factory was here in the ’70s, in 2 different locations right by this corner. He used to frequent Max’s Kansas City around the block on Park Avenue South. A lot of history within downtown New York culture happened in these few blocks during that time. That is one of the few regrets I will have in life, that I was not alive (or old enough) during that rare Studio 54, Paradise Garage, Warhol Factory 1970s heyday of NYC when it was such a seminal time for this city’s creative culture. Artists, musicians, writers, and designers would draw inspiration from that period for decades to come.

Yet I must admit that I’m not crazy about Warhol. I have learned about him throughout the years I studied art history in college and when I held creative jobs. I’ve always been torn as to whether to admire his influence or to scoff at his pretension.  While at one job in 2007, I reached out to one of his old cohorts at the Factory, Gerard Melanga, the photographer.  I learned he was still around as an artist, at that time creating portraits of cats. We met at Lucien on 1st Avenue and 1st Street early one afternoon, and he was already having a glass of wine. He was with 2 other older veterans of New York City, who were waxing poetic to me about the good old days and what this neighborhood (East Village) used to be back in the day.  The grit and the edge was gone.  At the time I was on the cusp of yearning for the East Village nightlife scene of even just 5 years prior, so I understood where they were coming from.

It was an interesting direct link to that period, to meet Mr. Malanga. He struck me as a kind and gentle man, and I almost could not envision him as part of this crazy group that was Warhol’s inner circle.  I think of Edie Sedgwick and see her as the Paris Hilton of her day.  Just the same, I was still in awe meeting someone who was part of the Factory.  I was licensing a photo he had taken of Andy Warhol for a hotel we were building here in New York. Afterwards he gave me a copy of the print, which I have yet to frame.  I still haven’t decided if I love Andy enough to hang him on my wall.

I'm going to sit down with some pipping hot Joe, some hummus and watch some," Andy Warhol's Factory People".

Tonight I was one degree of separation from Andy Warhol, & got to see a presentation of rarely seen pics frm The Factory. Yay Frist!

factory girl esta cool por andy warhol y el estilo de edie sedgwick

andy-warhol-silver-factory-by-bond-no-9-/241930302507168 Bond No 9 Andy Warhol Silver Fac

Warhol News . tk - Raeanne Rubenstein: "Andy, The Factory and Me" at The Frist.

Andy Warhol, the factory years, 1964-1967

Andy Warhol

Presents an investigation into the social context and philosophical transformations of Andy Warhol and his works.

A, a novel

Now available after 20 years--Andy Warhol's only novel.

The Factory [exposició]

Andy Warhol, the day the Factory died