Behind the glamorous — and often tragic — lives of Andy Warhol’s muses

Earlier this year, Anthology Film Archives successful nan Lower East Side hosted a screening devoted to Naomi Levine. Touted by immoderate arsenic Andy Warhol’s “first female superstar,” Levine performed successful galore of nan popular artist’s early underground movies, for illustration 1963’s “Tarzan and Jane Regained… Sort Of” and 1964’s pornographic “Couch.” Like galore of Warhol’s actors, she took disconnected her apparel for his camera.

Levine didn’t attraction astir fame, and ne'er became famous, which is possibly why she doesn’t moreover get a mention successful Laurence Leamer’s caller book, “Warhol’s Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by nan Factory Fame Machine” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, retired May 6). She doesn’t fresh pinch its thesis.

“Warhol’s Muses” is nan latest introduction successful a agelong statement of books and movies astir nan creator and his set of misfits. Like many, it portrays Warhol arsenic a leech who utilized and manipulated others for nan liking of his creation and celebrity. 

But here, Leamer focuses connected Warhol’s women: nan ever-evolving coterie of glamazons who accompanied him to parties, appeared successful his films, and “helped move nan Pittsburgh-born boy of Eastern European immigrants into world creator Andy Warhol.” 

“They would raise his societal cachet dramatically and bring him nan publicity and nationalist adulation he truthful desired,” Leamer writes.

Warhol called these women his “superstars.”

They included rebellious heiresses for illustration Edie Sedgwick, bohemian artists for illustration Christa Päffgen, a.k.a . Nico, and gorgeous outsiders for illustration nan trans icon Candy Darling.

They helped nan shy, awkward, cheery Warhol meet rich | buyers and gave him a sheen of glamour. And then, per Leamer, he formed them speech erstwhile they proved nary longer useful.

In 1964, Warhol was a successful commercialized artist. But his “fine art” — nan paintings of Campbell’s crockery cans and Brillo boxes — wasn’t selling, and his movies had hardly made a blip. 

Then he met Jane Holzer, a 23-year-old socialite surviving successful an Upper East Side mansion pinch her young real-estate mogul husband, saturated retired of her mind.

Holzer grew up successful privilege successful Palm Beach, Fla., yet had a defiant streak. When Warhol asked if she would beryllium successful 1 of his movies, she said: “Sure, anything’s amended than [being] a Park Avenue housewife.”

She made retired pinch 2 men for “Kiss.” She brushed her teeth and chewed gum for various “screen tests.”

Fully clothed, she suggestively peeled and ate a banana successful “Couch,” stealing nan movie from nan naked group astir her.

In nan evenings, she accompanied Warhol to statement aft party. By that fall, she was a bona fide celebrity, her each move documented by nan press, who named her “Baby Jane.” 

Her fame boosted Warhol’s ain prima power. His creation started selling, and he was appearing connected nan rumors pages, too. After Holzer was deemed passé, Warhol recovered different “muses.”

Brigid Berlin, nan “rotund and ever foulmouthed” girl of nan president of Hearst Corporation, who went by nan sanction Brigid Polk, entertained Warhol pinch anecdotes astir her dysfunctional childhood.

Susan Mary Hoffman, a k a Viva, “the Lucille Ball of nan underground,” injected “wicked wit and ferocious intelligence” into his porniest flicks. Isabelle Collin Dufresne, an erudite French woman known by nan moniker Ultra Violet, had antecedently bedded Salvador Dalí, Warhol’s idol. 

Many of these “superstars,” however, collapsed and burned. Warhol’s metallic studio, dubbed The Factory, attracted each mode of druggies, misfits and hangers-on.

They changeable up amphetamines truthful they could enactment up each night. They worked for small to nary pay, screen-printing designs aliases debasing themselves arsenic Warhol coolly captured them connected film. 

Ingrid von Scheven, aliases Ingrid Superstar — a New Jersey caput who sometimes turned tricks for money — ended up addicted to heroin aft her stint astatine The Factory. In 1986, astatine nan property of 42, she went retired to bargain a newspaper and vanished.

Most notorious was Edie Sedgwick, nan incandescent, damaged heiress who electrified 1960s New York pinch her metallic hair, gamine beauty, and reckless extravagance. Warhol captured her haunting vulnerability connected camera, filming her putting connected constitution and smoking a cigarette.

Leamer doesn’t look to deliberation overmuch of these movies, but they are mesmerizing and moving. She collapsed Warhol’s bosom erstwhile she went disconnected pinch Bob Dylan. (She died of a supplier overdose successful 1971.)

By nan clip nan extremist feminist Valerie Solanas tried to assassinate Warhol successful 1968, Leamer would person america judge that nan creator had it coming. 

And yet, not each of Warhol’s “muses” were victims.

Nico — nan German exemplary and character — had tried to motorboat a singing profession for years earlier Warhol installed her arsenic nan frontwoman for noisy art-rockers The Velvet Underground. Her relation pinch nan set lasted only 1 album, but she went connected to person an iconic solo career. 

Mary Woronov — an creation student erstwhile she fell successful pinch nan Factory crowd — kicked her supplier wont and continued acting successful indie films done nan 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s; she’s still a creator successful Los Angeles. 

Ultra Violet credited some Dalí and Warhol for her consequent creation career, and exhibited activity till her decease successful 2014.

As for Baby Jane, she survived her 15 minutes of fame. She now lives successful Palm Beach, surrounded by her postulation of Basquiats, Harings, and, yes, Warhols.