Christopher Makos

Christopher Makos (né en 1948) est un photographe américain reconnu pour son regard unique sur la culture contemporaine, la mode et l’art. Souvent surnommé “le photographe de l’underground new-yorkais”, il s’est imposé dans les années 1970 et 1980 comme une figure incontournable de la scène artistique internationale.

Biography

Christopher Makos (born 1948) is an American photographer renowned for his unique perspective on contemporary culture, fashion, and art. Often referred to as “the photographer of the New York underground,” he emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as a key figure on the international art scene.

Trained under Man Ray in Paris, Makos quickly developed an experimental and avant-garde approach to photography. After moving to New York, he became a close friend and collaborator of Andy Warhol, with whom he shared a fascination for celebrity, image, and glamour. His photographs capture the creative energy of that era, from nightclubs and artists’ studios to the social elite.

His work is marked by iconic portraits of major figures – David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring, among many others. With a direct, often provocative style, Makos explores the fluidity of identities and the playful construction of public image.

One of his most famous series, “Altered Images” (1981), features Andy Warhol transformed into different female characters, deliberately blurring the boundaries of gender and identity.

Today, Christopher Makos continues to exhibit worldwide, and his work remains an essential testimony to the New York avant-garde as well as a timeless reflection on fame, identity, and visual culture.

Career