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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Gerard Malanga: Secret Cinema

December 14, 2024
809 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, United States

When Gerard Malanga, a young artist and poet only three years out of high school, met Andy Warhol in 1962, he later recalled, “I kind of snubbed him at this party. I was more interested in the poets.” After they were re-introduced a few months later by the poet Charles Henri Ford, Malanga became Warhol’s protégé and chief assistant, and for the next seven years assisted him in silk-screening and filmmaking during the peak years of Pop art. Given his profound role in Warhol’s career, particularly co-directing and editing Screen Tests, it’s not surprising that Malanga became a skilled cinematographer in his own right. Pittsburgh’s Harris Theater hosts the world premiere of three newly-restored Malanga films, along with commentary and never-before-seen footage on the avant-garde in the 1960s and on Warhol himself. Following the screenings, Malanga will present a poetry reading and take part in a Q&A. —Lucy Horowitz