Andy Warhol first met Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger at a party in 1964, a time when the band were just embarking on their first ever US tour.
At the time of their meeting, both Warhol and The Rolling Stones were rising to fame in their own respected fields. While Jagger and the Stones were viewed as the “dirtier” alternative to the clean cut image of The Beatles, Warhol was living a similar experience in the art world of New York City.
Their first meeting at a party would lay the foundations for a strong personal and professional relationship that would follow, a starting point for the artistic collaborations that would follow. Officially working together for the first time in 1971 on the album artwork for Sticky Fingers, Warhol and Jagger would repeatedly meet up to converse and discuss their respective art forms.
In 1975 though, during a particularly hot summer, Jagger and his wife Bianca rented Warhol’s house in Long Island and the three hung out for days at a time. Planning his latest series, Warhol and Jagger took some time out to shoot head and bare-chested torso of the singer, Warhol focusing heavily on trying to capture the many different emotions of a stern-faced Jagger.
Warhol once said of Jagger: “He’s androgynous enough for almost anyone. That’s always been his basic appeal, mixed with the facts that: 1 – He’s very talented; 2 – He’s very intelligent; 3 – He’s very handsome; 4 – He’s very adorable.”
Continuing in describing his admiration for the Stones frontman, Warhol added: “5 – He’s a great business person; 6 – He’s a great movie star; 7- I like his fake cockney accent… Image is so important to rock stars. Mick Jagger is the rock star with the longest running image.
“He’s the one all the young white kids copy. That’s why every detail of his appearance is important.”
