“Before he shows anything on a wall, the artist spends most of his life
on the floor,” says photographer and former Warhol Factory member
Christopher Makos on the subject of how, eight years ago, he and fellow
lensman Paul Solberg formed the art duo The Hilton Brothers. The two had
been in Makos’s New York studio, each proofing his own large format
prints on the ground, when they realized how beautiful their
images—Makos’ muscular photos of horses; Solberg’s striking closeups of
flowers—looked together. “And from there, we just started jamming,” says
Solberg. The Hilton Brothers (their name references Siamese twin
vaudeville stars from the 1930s) have since produced numerous diptych
series, many of them incorporating photos from their extensive travels
together, and some—most notably, “Andy Dandy,” (above) which pairs Makos’
portraits of Warhol in a wig with Solberg’s florals—using older shots.
This week, a wide selection of their work goes on view in Tyrants +
Lederhosen, an exhibit at the Christopher Henry Gallery that accompanies
the release of their magnum opus by the same name. Photos by Makos of
Jean-Michel Basquiat and O.J Simpson with a gun to his head hang
alongside Solberg’s soaring shots of airplanes and aerial views of
parking lots. But it doesn’t really matter who took what; far more
fascinating is the dialogue that emerges between the images.
Jean-Michel Basquiat“Tyrants + Lederhosen” runs February 9 - March 4, 2012 at Christopher Henry Gallery, 127 Elizabeth Street, NYC; christopherhenrygallery.com
