Paige Powell Unveils Intimate, Never-Before-Seen Photographs of Andy Warhol’s Final Days in Powerful New Exhibition
Los Angeles, March 19, 2026 — In a poignant and revelatory exhibition now on view at Jeffrey Deitch’s Los Angeles gallery, photographer and longtime Andy Warhol associate Paige Powell presents “Private Andy: Religious Services,” a collection of previously unseen images that offer an extraordinarily personal glimpse into the final chapter of the Pop Art icon’s life. Far from the glamorous, detached persona that defined Warhol’s public image, these photographs reveal a quieter, more spiritually engaged figure—one who volunteered at a Bronx church, modeled in underground fashion shows, and navigated the sudden overlap of celebration and mourning in the days leading to his death.
Powell, who arrived in New York from Portland, Oregon, in 1980 and quickly became a key figure at Warhol’s Interview magazine (eventually rising to associate publisher), was not merely an observer but a close friend and collaborator within the artist’s inner circle. Her archive, which also encompasses the vibrant downtown scene of the 1980s—including Jean-Michel Basquiat—has long been a treasure trove for scholars and curators. Yet until now, much of her photographic work capturing Warhol remained private.
The exhibition centers on two distinct but intertwined bodies of work drawn from that archive. The first, “Private Andy: Religious Services,” documents Warhol in late 1986 as he volunteered at a Bronx church, serving holiday meals to the homeless. These images portray him not as a celebrity but as a humble participant—handing out food, engaging quietly with those in need, and embodying a rare, devotional side that echoed his lifelong fascination with Catholicism and spirituality.
The second series consists of accidental double exposures Powell made over a concentrated 10-day period in February 1987. Captured on the same roll of film, these haunting overlays juxtapose moments of joy and sorrow: exuberant scenes from a fashion show at the Tunnel nightclub (where Warhol himself appeared as a model) layered atop images from his funeral and burial in Pennsylvania just days later. Laughing friends from the prior week appear superimposed over grieving mourners, creating ethereal, chance-driven compositions that evoke Warhol’s own preoccupations with repetition, accident, life, death, and the blurring of boundaries.
Taken together, the photographs transcend mere documentation. They illuminate the spiritual dimensions of Warhol’s existence—often overshadowed by his Factory-era spectacle—and highlight themes of chance, devotion, and the fragile intersection of vitality and loss. As Powell has shared through the gallery, these works reflect her intimate perspective on a man who shaped culture while quietly seeking meaning in service and serendipity.
“Private Andy: Religious Services” runs through April 4, 2026, at Jeffrey Deitch, 7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. The show is free and open to the public, offering viewers a rare opportunity to encounter Warhol through the lens of someone who knew him not as an icon, but as a friend.
