In 1979 the artist was in graduate school at UCLA. He also worked part-time as a freelance photographer, including taking portrait photographs of professors for publication in UCLA’s Graduate School of Education Network Magazine. D’Elia read in a small placement article in the Los Angeles Times that Andy Warhol was coming to town to help his friend Wally Amos celebrate the fourth anniversary of the opening of his first retail ‘Famous Amos’ cookie store at the corner of Formosa Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. D’Elia decided to show up and see what interesting photographs he might make with the people assembled who were there to impress Andy Warhol. There was always the chance that he might be able to photograph Andy Warhol. At that time D’Elia owned a Nikon F2 AS 35mm camera with a Nikon 50 mm portrait lens. He did not own a telephoto lens because they were very expensive and almost all of his freelance photography work involved portraiture.
Upon arrival at the Famous Amos cookie store there was a huge crowd of perhaps five hundred people already on the property and milling around the adjacent parking lot. Andy Warhol was nowhere in sight and was over an hour late. After consulting with Wally Amos, D’Elia decided to wait outside at the curb by the side entrance to the cookie store having been told by Wally Amos that Warhol’s point of first arrival would be there. As soon as he reached the curb a limousine pulled up and out came Andy Warhol. Lou D’Elia took his first photograph as Andy emerged from the limousine. Upon seeing Lou D’Elia, Andy cracked a very large smile which D’Elia was able to capture on film [Smiling Andy Warhol]. As soon as D’Elia took his photograph of Andy Warhol, Warhol took his camera which he was carrying with him and snapped a photograph of D’Elia.
Photograph of Andy Warhol, 1979 by Lou D’Elia with permission of Mr. Warhol.
Just then a large crush of people began moving towards the limousine and Andy Warhol’s bodyguard came around quickly and told everybody in attendance to please step aside for Mr. Warhol so that he could get to the building. At that point Andy looked over at Lou D’Elia, nodded, and told his bodyguard “This young man is fine.” And Lou D’Elia, then being a fit young in-shape male surely was. As such Lou D’Elia was able to photograph Andy Warhol while walking with him and standing next to him while he was seated at a table signing autographs on copies of his Interview Magazine. The photographs reflect the close proximity and access to Warhol that D’Elia was allowed.
No other photographers were allowed such close access to Andy Warhol on that day. Indeed all others were kept at least 20 to 25 feet away from Andy Warhol who was uncomfortable in crowds, having been shot with a gun four years prior by a deranged fan. However, there was obvious closeness and comfort with his host, Wally Amos. The two had been friends for quite some time. Wally Amos, prior to his getting full-time into the cookie business, had been a talent agent with the William Morris Agency. He was the first African-American agent with William Morris and his clients included Simon and Garfunkel, Diana Ross and other top talent of the day. Andy Warhol in addition to being a world-famous artist was also the publisher of Interview Magazine and had ran covers featuring Diana Ross and other talent under management by Wally Amos. They were both in the ‘fame’ business and had interacted with each other over the years and became friends. Warhol came out to Los Angeles on that day to support the celebration of his friend’s business and to promote Interview Magazine.
Project: Warhol—The Video
Project: Warhol—Photo Gallery
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