Christopher Makos was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, grew up in California, and moved to New York after high school. He studied architecture in Paris and briefly worked as an apprentice to Man Ray. Andy Warhol, Makos’ good friend and frequent portrait subject, called Makos “the most modern photographer in America.” His photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Tate Modern in London, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the IVAM in Valencia (Spain) and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. His pictures have appeared in magazines and
newspapers, including Paris Match and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of several important books, like the volumes Warhol/Makos In Context (2007), Andy Warhol China 1982 (2007) and Christopher Makos Polaroids (2009).
Christopher Makos burst onto the photography scene with his 1977 book, WHITE TRASH. This raw, beautiful book chronicled the downtown NYC punk scene, interspersed with portraits of Uptown Boldface names like the designer Halston and Andy Warhol, who called Makos the “most modern photographer in America”.
Up to this point, Makos had traveled widely in Europe, spending time with Man Ray during the great artist’s last birthday celebrations in Fregene, Italy. The master surrealist and friend of Duchamp took a special interest in Makos and spent a day talking closely with the brash young American, sharing with him many practical insights into his working method as a photographer.
Makos continued to document the NY scene in the 80’s using his Interview Magazine “IN” column to present up and coming stars Matt Dillon, Christian Slater, Robert Downey JR. Tom Ford. and began a long term love with Spain, where he continues to be a regular in Madrid. His portraits of Pedro Almodovar, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Bibi Andersen and Miguel Bose helped identify La Movida.
Makos latest projects include a book of hid SX 70 Polaroids, with an essay by his friend Calvin Klein. LADY WARHOL, published this fall, presents 120 portraits of Andy in various wigs and make-up guises from the 1981 two-day Makos shoot they conceived as an homage to Man Ray’s Rose Selavy collaboration.
– makostudio.com
