Andy Warhol in the dining room of The Factor, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
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by Anna Randal
“Dear so and so. I’m a young photographer shooting a series of portraits of celebrated New Yorkers. If you could spare a few minutes of your time I would very much like to photograph you.”
Michael Tighe is one of those photographers you can’t quite understand, yet definitely not ignore. His work during the 1970s with Hollywood stars and art people of New York is considered seminal when it comes to celebrity photography. He started his career in 1874, by mailing letters to NY artists asking to photograph them and by 1976, Tighe had all his requests accepted.
According to him, the photograph that really lanched his career was of Baryshnikov getting a massage, for Warhol’s Interview Magazine. Tighe had already photographed the master of pop art and had started a collaboration with the publication. In the following years, Tighe photographed stars like Michael Jackson and Patti Smith, with his dark, mysterious aesthetic marking his distinctive work and his unique style.
Photos via washingtonpost
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Allen Ginsberg, East 14th St., New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
Bill Blass, fashion designer in his showroom, New York City,1975. (Michael Tighe)
George Segal, sculptor at his studio, New Jersey, 1973. (Michael Tighe)
Bobby Short at home, New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
Alan King, comedian, New York City, 1974. (Michael Tighe)
Cliff Gorman, actor on the Westside highway, New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
Frank Stella artist at his studio, New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
Mikhail Baryshnikov, New York City, 1976. (Michael Tighe)
Helen Gurley Brown at her office, Cosmopolitan, New York City, 1974. (Michael Tighe)
Robert Scull, art collector, New York City, 1974. (Michael Tighe)
Bob Fosse at his office, New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
Lee Strasberg with sons Adam and David at home, New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
Peter Maas, writer at home, New York City, 1974. (Michael Tighe)
Cartoonist Al Hirschfeld. (Michael Tighe)
Ralph Lauren at his showroom, New York City, 1975. (Michael Tighe)
All photos © Michael Tighe
