Paparazzo—Italian for pesky—is synonymous with Ron Galella, the photographer who made his name capturing celebrities in unguarded, often private moments. Famously banned from approaching Jackie Onassis and punched by Marlon Brando, Galella was a favorite of Andy Warhol, who shared his fascination with the great and near-great. Warhol himself recorded his nightly rounds through a seemingly endless parade of parties, openings, and happenings in his diaries. In these photographs, Galella presents the definitive visual diary of Warhol’s life and times, his entourage, and his haunts. Through his Interview column, “Glenn O’Brien’s Beat,” O’Brien was a key commentator on the period. His text places Galella in Warhol’s world and in the history of modern photography, describing his ground-breaking work, which Warhol was the first to recognize as “the great unauthorized portrait of our time”.

Published: 2008