AFTER ANDY

The life and fame of “the American godfather of Pop art” as seen through the doting eyes of a former Factory staffer.

Fashion journalist and biographer Fraser-Cavassoni (Monsieur Dior: Once Upon a Time, 2014) was the last “English Muffin” to work for Warhol before he died in 1987. Her history prior to landing that coveted position and the ensuing years are lavishly detailed in a memoir exposing the true glamour of the Warhol-ian world. Her glitzy chronicle begins at her boss’s funeral, described as “the Big Apple’s equivalent of a royal event.” Yet it was also “strangely moving,” as the author became increasingly aware of Warhol’s notoriety not only as an idolized pop artist, but as a man with a uniquely self-effacing personality. Fraser-Cavassoni’s own history is also captivating. As the daughter of British writer Lady Antonia Fraser and the stepdaughter of playwright Harold Pinter, the author retraces her familiarity with Warhol from a “socially aware” youth courting extravagance and mischief to her first social encounters with the artist as someone “posh with cleavage.” The author then delves into juicier tidbits of her ill-fated dalliance with Mick Jagger, Warhol’s discovery and mentoring of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and her arrival in America rubbing elbows with celebrities and eventually landing a two-year tenure at Andy Warhol Enterprises. Once firmly ensconced in the business, the 1980s underground art scene swirled around her, and Fraser-Cavassoni unleashes an intriguing stockpile of anecdotes that will delight Warhol’s legion of admirers. Appearing in many of these escapades is Fred Hughes, Warhol’s business manager and confidant, a dedicated guide who steered Warhol’s artistic productions toward maximum profitability and notoriety. The author’s treatment of Hughes’ allegiance to the artist and painful physical decline following his death, along with the disposition of Warhol’s estate and diary publications, aptly tempers the high-fashion celebrity circus the author knows so well.

A pop icon’s star-studded legacy decorated with red-carpet prestige.