3.75 stars

In this book, Lerner tells the story of Andy Warhol's ascendency to New York prominence and the people he exploited to get there. The book tells about Warhol through the stories of 10 women (and quite a few male side characters). It paints a disgusting picture of exploitation, but with all that breath, it doesn't connect with the women in the way that I would have liked it to. In the end, even in the book that's supposed to be about them, these women only really exist in relation to the man who used them.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for an advance reading copy for unbiased review.

This book chronicles many of Andy Warhol’s muses including Edie Sedgwick, Viva, Candy Darling, Nico, Ultra Violet and more. The author explains how these people became a part of Warhol’s life and which of his films they starred in. It also goes over their day-to-day lives in relation to Andy Warhol’s Factory.

First off, I learned a ton about Andy Warhol. My opinion of him is greatly reduced after this book. He is a user and abuser a pretty much everyone around him and he has no feelings about it at all. Drugs were a major part of the Factory, and it seemed like amphetamines were the drug of choice. I feel like this book is really a sad chronicle of lives, wasted in relation to Andy Warhol. Still a very good book, and I enjoyed the content and writing style of the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a copy of this book.

On Purchasing and Manipulating Fame
Laurence Leamer, Warhol’s Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, May 6, 2025). EBook: $32. 336pp, 6X9”. ISBN: 978-0-593716-66-3.
***
“…An astonishing account of the revolutionary artist Andy Warhol and his scandalous relationships with the ten women he deemed his ‘Superstars’. ‘Now and then, someone would accuse me of being evil,’ Andy Warhol confessed, ‘of letting people destroy themselves while I watched, just so I could film them.’ Obsessed with celebrity, the silver-wigged artistic icon created an ever-evolving entourage of stunning women he dubbed his ‘Superstars’—Baby Jane Holzer, Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Ultra Violet, Viva, Brigid Berlin, Ingrid Superstar, International Velvet, Mary Woronov, and Candy Darling. He gave several of them new names and manipulated their beauty and talent for his art and social status with no regard for their safety, their dignity, or their lives… Shines a spotlight on the complex women who inspired and starred in Warhol’s legendary underground films—The Chelsea Girls, The Nude Restaurant, and Blue Movie, among others. Drawn by the siren call of Manhattan life in the sixties, they each left their protected enclaves and ventured to a new world, Warhol’s famed Factory, having no sense that they would never be able to return to their old homes and familiar ways again. Sex was casual, drugs were ubiquitous, parties were wild, and to Warhol, everyone was transient, temporary, and replaceable. It was a dangerous game he played with the women around him, and on a warm June day in 1968, someone entered the Factory and shot him, changing his life forever…”
Given the weight of what this book promises to deliver, the “Prologue” set in the tense period of “June 3, 1968” has a very slow and uninformative start. There is chatter about a woman with a baby being encountered by somebody who is trying to sell a play to her about sexual abuse and women ruling over men in a “feminist paradise”. Finally, at the end of the second page tension rises as this pitcher brings out a gun and threatens to kill Warhol unless her play is produced. The play turns out to be called Up Your Ass. This producer makes some calls trying to warn Warhol, but apparently not to those who could have actually informed him of the brewing trouble. A lot of time passes, and then the woman who made the threat, Solanas, did shoot the 39-year-old Warhol as he just arrived at his Factory in the afternoon. There is a lot of irrelevant information in this spacy intro.
Then, the first chapter begins by explaining that Warhol is now posthumously one of the artists with the highest prices on his paintings, and that he gained this fame in part by showing up in society with beautiful women “on his arm”. He had apparently finished making his great art by the time he started relying on these marketing props, and instead just focused on marketing. Oddly, these women came from “upper-class families”, so they did not desperately need Warhol’s help, but rather might have been his sponsors. So, what was the point of: “christen[ing] them into their new lives” with “new names”. Their parents were mostly wealthy lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. Warhol needed them to hide his homosexuality. And if they were constantly around him, why didn’t he paint their pictures and instead focused on hyper-famous women such as Monroe? He must have done it because he knew that the more famous the subject was the more auto-puffed and priced the work would be.
While the intro and the blurb include several mentions of “new names”, there are few actual explanations of how or why Warhol gave these girls new names. In one section, there is a note that Jane Holzer was renamed by columnist Carol Bjorkman as “Baby Jane”, in an echo of a horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Warhol was hanging on to this Baby Jane, but her fame in the press (for no reason other than her beauty) was not rubbing off on him at first in the fall of 1964. So, this is a case where somebody else might have given Warhol the idea of giving women new nicknames to increase their fame with something easier to remember. Then, Isabel was given a role in Warhol’s film, The Life of Juanita Castro (March 1965), an anti-Castro farce. She only played a background role, and was, at 29, over 5 years older than Warhol’s other Superstars, but she was also added to the list and renamed “Ultra Violet”. To fit his name, she colored her hair purple, and “picked out” with Warhol a single “vintage purple dress” from “an East Village thrift shop”. She pushed her way into photos with Warhol and Dali to also be mentioned in a photo. I don’t understand why any of this is problematic? This is not a tragedy. This is a story about how all rich women want to be famous. This is why social media is the billions-generating business it is now. In another case it is Tobias who renames another Superstar as Nico (not Warhol). In another case, a Superstar, Mary Woronov, refused to be assigned any “new name” by Warhol.
The back bios summary explains that Solanas was “released from prison in 1971”, and then died in a “welfare hotel” of “pneumonia”.
So, these women were using (probably free) drugs at the Factory, and having a lot of sex, and this was sinful for Warhol because he should have protected these youths from such social ills? For example, “Ingrid Superstar left the Factory with a drug problem”, so she ended up working in a “sweater factory” before disappearing, or perhaps taking up yet another “new name”. Ultra Violet did well, publishing a memoir, and becoming a “successful artist”. In fact, a few others also cashed in on their proximity to Warhol by publishing memoirs, including Viva, and Mary Woronov. The assassination attempt made Warhol extremely paranoid, on top of recovering from the injuries. It seems that Solanas was not personally wronged by Warhol (he did not give her any drugs, or invited her to any sex parties). She just wanted to be famous, and members of Warhol’s Factory were refusing to make her famous.
While this book did not deliver the accusations against Warhol as a manipulator of vulnerable women that the blurb promised, it has a lot of curious information about how artists and others have historically gained extreme fame. There is much to learn from these pages. Though it is written with too few details, too many simplifications, and too much empty-air where more research could have filled in more revelatory information. The bibliography is only 3 pages long. And less than half-a-page covers all the notes per-chapter, with most notes referring to the same sources, such as AWT. This is not a well-researched book, or one that is written with enough scholarly care, but it uses the techniques pop novelists tend to use, and so readers who like these genres should be entertained.
Pennsylvania Literary Journal: Spring 2025 issue: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-spring-2025

Warhol’s Muses, by Laurence Leamer, is a meticulously researched book that is a quick read; however, it made me feel so sad. All the wasted lives of his muses, like Edie Sedgwick and Candy Darling, and all the wasted potential just made me melancholy. I have always had a passing curiosity about Warhol and his Factory, but Leamer’s book does not paint him in a very flattering light. This is perfect for a book that ostensibly focuses on the women in his orbit rather than Warhol himself. I really enjoy Leamer’s books and this one is just as stunning as his previous efforts. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance reading copy.

Warhol's Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by Laurence Leamer

This was a comprehensive novel about ten of Warhol’s superstars. I found my lack of knowledge about this era and art movement and Warhol, in general, to be a hindrance in reading this. There were a ton of names thrown out, in addition to the ten women and artist, that I felt like I should know but didn’t, so I felt overwhelmed.

The author did a great job at providing details about the women and showcasing just how detrimentally entangled they became. After reading this, it was clear Warhol was only using these women (and many others) with a disregard to human life.

I would recommend this to those who have a basis of knowledge of this topic before diving in.

This was a very interesting read to be able to discover more behind Warhol's muses and to learn about their backstories.

Laurence Leamer is the premier author of problematic men. This time he's covering Andy Warhol and his bevy of beauties that hung out at The Factory or starred in his strange avant garde films. 10 bright, enigmatic women are featured from Edie Sedgwick to Candy Darling.
What I love so much about Leamer is that he is not afraid to showcase the utter and complete corruptness of the men in that are featured in his books. Shining a light on fantastic women is his m.o. and he does it well.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this digital e-arc.*

I had eagerly anticipated this title since I am a student of all things Warhol and Basquiat. I had also read Leamer's excellent book, "Capote's Women," which served as the source material for the award-worthy "Capote vs. The Swans." While Leamer's strong writing and well-documented research were evident, I was disappointed that the book's text concluded at 79%. The remaining 21% consisted of Acknowledgments, Notes, and Photo Credits.

Leamer primarily focused on the "Muses" during the Factory years, known as the "Warhol Superstars." This period lasted a brief seven years, from 1964 to 1971. The aftermath for these muses is significant, with many leaving the Factory scarred in various ways. Those who survived often faced other challenges, such as poverty, drug addiction, and irreparable damage to their careers and reputations.

Leamer acknowledges Warhol's role as a Svengali and a manipulative figure, preying on the vulnerable for his profit and fame, much like Charles Manson. Many of his "Superstars" were young women from abusive backgrounds, seeking attention and a sense of belonging. As Janet Malcolm wrote: "Every journalist who is not too stupid or full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people's vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse."

While many see Warhol as the most brilliant artist of the Twentieth Century, Brigid Berlin understood that he was a shrewd businessman, his primary concern always being money. As she said, "I think Andy is a business genius. I don't think he's an artist. He's in another field all of its own."

Edie Sedgwick has become the most visible symbol of Warhol's use them and throw them away mentality. Edie has become synonymous with the die young, leaving a pretty corpse ideal. As Leamer states, these women deserved more "to be remembered for the women they were, fascinating figures in a daring age."

I wish Leamer had continued and spoken of Warhol's "muses" of the 1980's, such as Basquiat and Haring. Jean Michel Basquiat came into Warhol's life when he was at a commercial low. Drella used him up and came out on top again before he died in 1987.

While Leamer's book catalogs the injustices that Warhol doled out to the beauties of the 1960s, there are no real surprises for those who are schooled in Warhol and the Factory.

Thank you to Net Galley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC!

This was an interesting read. I had always loved Warhol’s art but not really much more about him. This really gave me a deep dive into his life and more about him. I loved hearing about the women he ‘worked with,’ which really isn’t the right term. He used them more than anything. The beginning of this book was a little hard to get through with all the different people, which I had no context to. My view of Warhol changed and this was a good read for that.

This was an amazing comprehensive look at all those superstars involved with Andy Warhol and his connection to them. I loved that it didn't solely focus on Andy Warhol (as he was pretty problematic), and we got a mini biography on each muse. While it's true many came to tragic ends, there are a few that outlived the strings to the factory so I enjoyed the piece at the end of the book letting readers know where each person ended up. I think that many of these characters had in common was definitely a sense of being different and wanting to display their personalities freely. It's unfortunate most weren't monetarily compensated fairly, however what they didn't get in wealth they certainly achieved in fame (which is the Andy Warhol ethos, after all).

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advance copy of this look at the artist Andy Warhol and the scene that he created from whole cloth, inventing a new way to look at celebrity, the time their fame can last, and how quickly they can be replaced in both the public eye and by the creator, artist himself.

To paraphrase Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in search of a good fortune, must be in want of a entourage.' I can't think of anything more true about celebrities, from real stars, to self-created influencers who appear and disappear at the drop of an app. My friend has done some ghost writing and he always discusses the scene around the artist he is to write about as "a mix between the worst prep school in fiction, and the worst prison in America. There is constant fighting for position, gossip, rumors, even fights to get close to the star, the creator of the scene. People appear and disappear regularly, some leaving because the scene is too much, or the scene has crushed them either mentally, health wise, or worse. Andy Warhol was a scene maker, a scene traveller and a artist with POP. His factory gave birth to silk screen works, the Velvet Underground and numerous women with names Warhol provided. Some went on to better things, some decayed in Warhol's orbit. Many fell to Earth and never recovered. This book tells their story. Warhol's Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by historian and journalist Laurence Leamer is a look at what the gears of the Factory were lubricated with, the fame made, and the lives destroyed in the pursuit of Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame.

Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and never wanted to talk about it. Warhol actually was not much of a talker, but an observer. fascinated by people, the way they acted, and the good life that many had. A good life that Warhol craved. Moving to New York Warhol made his first accomplishments in fashion, drawing shoes that were acclaimed throughout the industry. Warhol wanted more, and knew that they world or art was where he could make it. Warhol found sponsors to get his art to the dealers who could make his career, and among the rich he found people he could use. Baby Jane Holzer was his first 'Superstar' an idle rich woman with British taste, looks and the first to be labeled an It Girl. Warhol appeared in public with here, a symbiotic relationship that got both press and more. Soon there were others Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Mary Woronov, Vita, Candy Darling and others. Some Warhol named, most he filmed in his movies, many he discarded when he grew bored, or their fame didn't equate to what he wanted. Within a few short years Warhol was the Artist he wanted to be, until another scenester tried to take it all away.

A book that really surprised me, one that I thought I had an idea of what life was like in the Warhol circle, but surprised me how much a circle of Hell it must have been. Warhol was not a good person, as this book shows. Warhol would discard people, feel nothing about their deaths, pay his actors and hanger-ons nothing. In many ways this is both a cautionary tale about fame, and a book about not joining cults, as neither one can end well. Leamer is a very good writer, capturing the scene, the drugs, the art, and the sadness of many of the characters. There are a tremendous amount of people, but Leamer is good about describing them, even the famous ones so one is never lost. I learned quite a bit, and enjoyed this book quite a lot, though I feel very bad for many of the people featured here.

In the afterword Leamer discusses how much of this information printed has not been released, using many transcripts of tapes from the Warhol estate, as Andy Warhol taped almost every conversation he had. Learner has really done his work and has written a very important book about the Factory scene, one that still interests many people. And a book that we can learn quite a lot from.

Such a well researched book. Laurence Leamer never disappoints. I read more about some Andy Warhol Superstars I already knew about and was able to read about others I didn’t. I loved it! Thank you NetGallery!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Warhol's Muses is a sad and detailed look into the lives of the “superstars” who were brought to fame by and with the Andy Warhol. Specifically those he worked with through the 1960s into the early 70s.

As someone who considered myself a fan of Warhol art I didn’t realize how little I actually knew of his character and this book definitely tainted that. That being said I would most definitely recommend this to any Warhol fan, but brace yourself for tragedy. It is well written and seems to be well researched and gives many a detailed account of life in and around the factory through the 1960s.
Upon reading this book I would say the subheading “The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine” is quite appropriate.

To say that Warhol worked WITH these people (predominantly women) isn’t really the right worked. Andy Warhol used them. Whether for his own social climbing or through manipulation of their desperate place in life getting them to do incredibly destructive things for drugs and attention.

Warhol Muses offers a fascinating look at the women who inspired Andy Warhol's art, from Baby Jane Holzer to Candy Darling, exploring their impact on both his work and the cultural landscape of the era. The book balances striking visuals with insightful commentary, giving readers a glimpse into Warhol's world through the lens of his relationships with these iconic figures.

Whether you're a Warhol aficionado or simply interested in the intersection of art, celebrity, and fashion, the book is an engaging and stylist read. Perfect for fans of pop art and ‘60s-'70 counterculture, Warhol Muses is a must-read for those intrigued by the real-life muses behind the myth.

As an artist I always wanted to meet Andy Warhol. I just figured I could travel to NYC and drop into the Factory. I am not sure what I was thinking, having not read any books about him. My source was newspapers and articles about him. After reading this book, it would have been very pedestrian to go up to him and talk or even to shake his hand. I was not familiar with that famous sofa, but I did know about the 'it' girls, Warhol's muses.
Of these muses it would have been cool to meet Nico or Edie. I been to Ibiza, and I went clubbing every night, maybe Nico was parting in one of those clubs. Besides the Velvet Underground album I have a copy of her Chelsea Girl. I was always into exotic girls and she and Edie would have been right up my alley.
It is too bad that Andy was so self-absorbed and cared little about those whom he used. I know one shouldn't speak ill of the dead. I haven't stopped thinking about this book and the human costs of those Andy collected. Maybe it just as well that I didn't get to meet him.

This book is a pretty comprehensive look at the many muses of Andy Warhol. Let me say at the outset that I find him to be a miserable, selfish person who was more a merchandiser than an artist, and this book did nothing to dispel that opinon. I picked this up because I was interested in how these people came to be associated with him, and what happened to them after their time in the Factory with him. I liked how this book spoke to a lot of people who were there at the time, and especially the update at the end of the book as to what happened to them later in life. It was a quick read, and entertaining.

Warhol’s Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by Laurence Leamer is an enthralling and tragic exploration of the women whose lives were forever changed—often for the worse—by their proximity to Andy Warhol’s orbit. Leamer’s narrative is both a glittering ode to the chaotic allure of 1960s Manhattan and a sobering account of the emotional and psychological cost of fame under Warhol’s manipulative, voyeuristic gaze.

The strength of this book lies in how Leamer humanizes Warhol’s "Superstars." Figures like Edie Sedgwick, Nico, and Candy Darling have often been reduced to pop culture footnotes or tragic archetypes of the "It girl" who burned too brightly. Here, they are portrayed with depth and complexity—not just as muses but as ambitious, flawed, and ultimately vulnerable women who were drawn into Warhol’s world in pursuit of identity, freedom, and creative expression. Leamer excels at placing each woman within the broader cultural and personal context that shaped her decisions, making their stories feel personal rather than sensationalized.

Warhol himself is depicted with a mixture of awe and indictment. Leamer doesn’t shy away from portraying the darker side of his genius—his ability to reduce people to aesthetic objects, his cold detachment from the chaos and suffering around him, and his role as a puppet master who both elevated and destroyed the women who trusted him. Warhol’s confession about watching people self-destruct for the sake of art haunts the entire narrative. Yet Leamer also acknowledges Warhol’s vulnerability—his lifelong fear of death, his asexuality amid the sexual revolution, and his near-fatal shooting in 1968, which forever altered his demeanor and work.

The vivid descriptions of the Factory’s hedonistic culture—the wild parties, the pervasive drug use, and the voyeuristic art installations—transport the reader into a world that was equal parts creative wonderland and emotional wasteland. Leamer captures the dissonance of a place where dreams were born and extinguished in the same breath, where casual cruelty was masked as avant-garde coolness.

One of the most poignant elements of the book is its focus on the aftermath for Warhol’s muses. While Warhol continued to rise in prominence after surviving the shooting, many of the women he made famous struggled with addiction, isolation, and obscurity. Leamer doesn’t romanticize their falls from grace but instead examines the social forces—misogyny, addiction, and a culture obsessed with youth and beauty—that made their stories so tragically common. The author also questions the nature of agency: Did these women make their own choices, or were they victims of a system they didn’t fully understand until it was too late?

If there’s a critique, it’s that the book sometimes skims over key details in favor of broader storytelling. Certain figures—such as Nico and Viva—deserve more in-depth exploration, as their stories feel abbreviated compared to more iconic muses like Edie Sedgwick. Additionally, some readers may wish for more analysis of Warhol’s complex psychology and the role of queerness in his art and relationships, rather than solely focusing on his detachment and manipulations.

At 4 stars, Warhol’s Muses is a gripping and often heartbreaking portrait of fame, exploitation, and the fleeting allure of the Factory’s silver-lined world. Laurence Leamer’s meticulous research and empathetic storytelling breathe life into these forgotten muses, reclaiming their narratives from the shadows of Warhol’s legacy. For anyone fascinated by the countercultural explosion of the 1960s or the complexities of artist-muse dynamics, this book offers a captivating and cautionary glimpse into a world where beauty, ambition, and art collided with devastating consequences.

We know their names, or their faces, and FINALLY there was a book that would share more about these women in Andy Warhol's orbit. This was a very well researched biographical compilation of these individuals. It was sad to read how they were manipulated, used, taken advantage of, etc. I will forever look at Andy Warhol in a different way.

3.5 stars. I’ve enjoyed the books from Leamer that I’ve read, but this was a bit tougher to connect with.

The novel covers Warhol’s relationships with ten of his “superstars” including Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Candy Darling, Baby Jane Holzer, Brigid Berlin, Mary Woronov, International Velvet, Viva, UltraViolet and Ingrid Superstar. I don’t know that any of them escaped his orbit unscathed.

Leamer wrote a great book on Truman Capote and his swans (I highly recommend it if you are at all interested in the topic) that became the basis for the recent “Feud” miniseries. The big difference between Capote and Warhol is that while Capote certainly used the swans for status he also offered him his loyal friendship (well, til the end) and a terribly witty and welcome dinner guest and alternative to their husbands.

Warhol? He appears to be nothing but a truly awful man with no genuine feeling for anyone, an absolute, unrepentant user. His it girls were often desperate for his help, for him to be the friend they had been to him and he not only withheld, he often hoped they would commit suicide so he could film it. So quite the charmer! He also treated his lovers and everyone associated with the Factory this way.

“…what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people’s vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse.” So that’s Andy Warhol. Prior to reading this book I always had a generally positive opinion about him, knowing that he was from Pittsburgh and that he was not from money, but was entirely self-created, but the book has definitely colored my view, a very, very solid black.

As to the book I missed Warhol and the Factory during its heyday and though the names of some of these women are vaguely familiar to me, I lack context. Those who lived through the era may enjoy the book more, though I still liked it fine. Leamer does a good job with subjects like this and he’s quickly becoming a “must read” for me.

Warhol's Muses by Laurence Leamer is an extremely detailed account of women surrounding Warhol at the famed Factory. This is an excellent read for anyone interested in the 60's counterculture, Warhol, and his art creating processes. Leamer explores the lives of 10 women, brings them to life, honors them and respects them in ways Warhol failed.