Christopher Makos (born 1948)[1] is an American photographer and visual artist. He is known for his photographs of queer icons and pop stars, and of the male body.[2]
A friend and collaborator of pop artist Andy Warhol, Makos was a chronicler of New York's underground club culture in the 1970s and 1980s. His photographs have been published in various publications such as Interview, Rolling Stone, House & Garden, Connoisseur, New York Magazine, Esquire, Genre, and People. He has had several exhibitions, and his works are included in the holdings of major museums and private collections.
Life and career
Christopher Makos was born in 1948 in Lowell, Massachusetts.[1][3] After his parents divorced when he was twelve, he moved to El Monte, California, with his mother.[4] Following his high school graduation, Makos drove cross-country with a friend to New York.[5]
Makos was hired by playwright Tennessee Williams to be his assistant.[5] "I wasn't a very good assistant. I lost his typewriter," he recalled.[6]
Makos dated actor Tony Perkins, who gave him a Nikon camera for his birthday.[5] That was the start of his photography career. "I took pictures and realized I could make money doing that," he said.[4]
His first solo exhibition, "Pictures From A Suitcase," was at the Foto Gallery in New York from December 1974 to January 1975.[7] At the time, Makos had the same art dealer as photographer Man Ray.[5] As a result, Makos was invited to spend a weekend in 1976 with Man Ray at his birthday celebration in Fregenae, Italy.[8] Throughout that weekend, Makos picked up a lot of photographic tips from Man Ray, who advised him to "obey your first impression."[5]
In 1976, Makos met pop artist Andy Warhol and was soon visible in his social circle.[9][10] Makos became staff photographer for Warhol's Interview magazine, and in 1977, he published his book White Trash, which captured the emerging punk scene.[11] From September to October 1977, an exhibition of his photos was displayed at the Andrew Crispo Gallery in New York. Makos was the art director for the 1979 photo book Andy Warhol's Exposures.[10][12][13]
Makos at work in his studio, 2007
Makos dated Robert Hayes, who was the assistant editor for Interview, and later artist Peter Wise.[14]
Makos continued to worked on developing a style of boldly graphic photojournalism. His photographs have been the subject of numerous exhibitions both in galleries and museums throughout the United States, Europe and Japan and have appeared in countless magazines and newspapers worldwide. He has been a seminal figure in the contemporary art scene in New York. He is responsible for introducing the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring to Warhol.[5] His book, Warhol: A Photographic Memoir (1989, New American Library), chronicled his friendship and extensive travels with Warhol in photos.[15]
↑ Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York, NY: Warner Books. p.11. ISBN978-0-446-51426-2Entry date: December 24, 1976{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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