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Snapshots capturing the extravagance of 70s New York Bob Colacello's exhibition in Paris
2 February 2023
Paris Marais
By Sarah Moroz
Writer Bob Colacello was quick with his Minox 35 EL spy camera, a souvenir he and Andy Warhol each bought on a trip to Germany. Bob was a lynchpin of Andy Warhol’s entourage, writing for and overseeing Interview magazine after being plucked from the Village Voice as a young contributor. Bob describes himself less as a photographer than a privileged witness to decadence. His behind-the-scenes access was his forte: “I’ve always been a journalist who was reporting from the inside,” he told Vanity Fair, where he himself worked for decades after Interview. Artnet described him as “basically the Derek Blasberg of the 70s, capturing snapshots of high society well before Instagram.”
The exhibition It Just Happened: Photographs 1976-1982 (on view through March 4 at Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris) spotlights, casually through Bob’s lens, the cycle of parties and jet-setting excursions that animated the lives of the fabulous — from Cher to Diane von Furstenberg and Divine. It was an era when socialites, aristocrats, actors, politicians, models, and artists rubbed shoulders. In addition to black-and-white photos, the exhibition includes personal memorabilia, such as a thank you note from Liza Minelli on her own letterhead, and vintage editions of Interview, notably a shirtless Joe Dallesandro cover.
Bob’s images captured Andy Warhol mid-bite on a floral couch, Jade Jagger as a child climbing out the sunroof of a limo, Richard Gere in cowboy boots sifting through record covers, Fran Lebowitz with her skeptical gaze trailed by André Leon Talley in a plaid tie, and Jerry Hall with her blonde mane draped seductively over her shoulder. All are snapshot-candid, and often framed askew. “My involvement with photography was like a fling — fun and stimulating while it lasted, but something I’ve put behind me to remain faithful to my first love, writing,” he has noted. (...)
