Christopher Makos

CHRISTOPHER MAKOS (Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, 1948).
"Susan Bartsch.
Gelatin silver.
With stamps on verso.
Edition from the late 1980s.
Measurements: 50 x 40.5 cm; 51 x 41 cm (frame).

Susan Bartsch is a renowned cultural promoter, nightlife icon and key figure of the New York underground scene since the late 1970s. Born in England and based in New York, she became famous for organizing extravagant parties and events that mixed fashion, art, music and performance, becoming a central figure in club culture and the LGBTQ+ community. During the 1980s and 1990s, her parties at clubs such as Copacabana, The Tunnel or Palladium brought together designers, artists, models, performers and celebrities, standing out for their theatrical, avant-garde and provocative aesthetics. Susan Bartsch also promoted the work of young designers and collaborated with influential figures in fashion and contemporary art.

In addition to her impact on nightlife culture, she played an important social and activist role, especially during the AIDS crisis, organizing charity events and fundraising campaigns for research and support for people affected by HIV/AIDS. Over time, it has become a symbol of creativity, freedom of expression and cultural diversity in New York.

Makos was able to capture the essence of the people he portrayed, most of whom were important figures of the society of the time, such as Truman Capote, Liz Taylor, John Lennon and Mick Jagger. He usually took the pictures in his studio, but giving great prominence to the figures, capturing their essence.

Christopher Makos is remembered, among other things, for being the person who introduced Warhol to the Polaroid universe. He is a legendary figure in New York. Although born in Massachusetts, he grew up in California and then settled in New York City in the 1960s. He went to Europe, to Paris, to study architecture, but contact with Man Ray led him to photography. Back in the United States, he settled in New York, in the West Village. He collaborated closely with Andy Warhol, whom he taught to use his first camera. He also brought Warhol into contact with the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Warhol called Makos "the most modern photographer in the United States". Makos' close friendship with Warhol and their extensive travels together are reflected in Makos' book Warhol: A Photographic Memoir (New American Library). Makos' works are in the permanent collections of more than one hundred museums, have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States, Europe and Japan, and have appeared in numerous publications around the world, including Interview, Rolling Stone, House & Garden, Connoisseur, New York Magazine, Esquire, Genre and People. Some collectors such as Malcolm Forbes, Pedro Almodovar or Gianni Versace own his works.