There are few modern artists whose work is as recognizable as that of Andy Warhol. But the 20th-century pop icon's art goes beyond Campbell's soup cans and psychedelic Marilyn Monroe portraits. Always a prolific photographer, Warhol took more than 130,000 pictures in the last decade of his life, but many remained unexposed until now.
In Contact Warhol, Stanford University faculty Peggy Phelan and Richard Meyer present previously unpublished contact sheets (photographic paper that contain the negatives from a roll of film) along with photographs that Warhol selected to be printed. Candid photos of celebrities and artists (Liza Minnelli, Jean-Michel Basquiat) are prominent; photos of Nancy Reagan in the White House are a surprise. Photos of debauchery at discos and gay friends in drag (or the nude) abound, trenchant essays and quotes from Warhol ("I have Social Disease. I have to go out every night") complete this portrait of a legendary artist. --Frank Brasile, librarian