Andy Warhol’s drag alter ego, although his most private, was pivotal in the personal and emotional development of the candid mastermind we know and love. Of all the ideas that piqued Warhol’s curiosity, the thought of expressing himself through a self-constructed image rather than his original identity fascinated him the most. To expand his interest in drag queens and identity reconstruction, Warhol became the subject of his own photography.
After opening his art studio in NYC in the 1960s, Warhol became exposed to the city’s nightlife, and he was intrigued by the physical appearance and personal expression of the drag queens. Warhol even took to designing his own dresses and attending social events wearing the drag fashion.
In the 1980s, with the help of assistant photographer Cristopher Makos and a professional in theatrical makeup, Warhol captured polaroid photographs of his drag ego that he longed to create. Warhol’s team used hours of makeup and multiple wigs to feminize his character while defining the most masculine features of his face; the polaroids portray this genuine image of the powerful, yet emotionally vulnerable icon that Warhol strived to emulate.
Warhol’s photographs that reconstruct his image based on the personas and physical appearances that favored his attention is an art of self-reflection like no other. Warhol sought to express all aspects of himself all throughout his career. No matter what you think of this story, I think it's quite amazing that he found such expression and freedom in the specific art of recreating one’s self, which is something Warhol accomplished in every aspect of his illustrious career.
