A short story of Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick: live fast, die young.
One of the brightest couples in bohemian mid-60s New York met at a party in 1965. Sedgwick came to conquer the city of opportunities, and Warhol, being passionate about directing, invited Edie to play in his experimental films.
© Ronald Bacsa
They say that the aspiring actress and model attracted the attention of the king of pop art with her appearance and unusual plasticity while dancing.
© Fred Eberstadt
The Factory
Edie quickly joined the group of underground artists gathered around Warhol in his notorious The Factory studio. Its interior was terribly provocative — the walls were painted in silver, and everything around was decorated with silver foil and mirrors. It was not a secret — that design was nothing more than a manifestation of pure narcissism.
© William John Kennedy, Stephen Shore, Billy Name, Nat Finkelstein
The strong friendship between Sedgwick and Warhol lasted for only a year, but it was something! Appearing everywhere accompanied by her extraordinary patron, Edie quickly acquired the status of a bohemian socialite.
© Steve Schapiro, DAILY MAIL/REX/ALAMY, John Springer Collection, Walter Daran, Steve Schapiro
Epatage
In addition to consonant names, they were united by their love for epatage. Sedgwick said goodbye to her long hair and bleached it to get closer to Warhol. What’s more, from time to time the famous couple went out wearing the same clothes. It’s easy to imagine how bright their public appearances were.
© Burt Glinn, Hervé Gloaguen
The actress starred in about 17 Warhol films and became the heroine of the 1965 Youthquakers Vogue column. In the same year, LIFE magazine put Edie on the cover, calling her the girl of the year and an underground movie star.
© Fred Eberstadt, Enzo Sellerio
Sedgwick could have continued to be content with her friendship with one of the most popular artists of the time and run in the bohemian circuit, but her ambitions to become a serious actress prompted her to break out of Warhol’s environment.
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Andy Warhol & Edie Sedgwick Interview (Merv Griffin Show 1965)
Bob Dylan
By the end of 1965, Edie began to move away from Warhol, and got involved with Bob Dylan. By the way, he was also a guest of the aforementioned The Factory. It is believed that the musician dedicated his album Blonde On Blonde to Sedgwick. The star couple’s romance was short-lived. Rumors reached Edie that Dylan was married and had no plans to connect the future with her.
Poor Little Rich Girl, 1965
The plunge into dissipation
The fragile girl with expressive eyes was fighting her inner demons all her life, including driving them away with drugs and alcohol. Having had a tough break up with Bob Dylan, Sedgwick once again ran off the rails. The process turned out to be irreversible. The last years of the socialite’s life brought her to a tragic end. At the age of 28, Andy Warhol’s muse died of an overdose.
© Bob Adelman
Style icon
Sedgwick had a unique sense of style and distinctive image that epitomized the freedom-loving 60s. She is called one of the first it-girls to make a big impact on the fashion world.
© Enzo Sellerio
Smoky eyes and platinum blond, large dangling earrings, a leopard coat (sometimes worn over a naked body), always black tights combined with a mini — Eddie obviously loved contrasts.
© Nat Finkelstein, Terry Stevenson
Collage/animation: Lesya Pakharyna
The author:
Natasha Tsi
Interior designer, art and movie reviewer
