NEW YORK CITY — Doyle’s auction of The Duchess of Warhol: The Estate of Brigid Berlin on April 27 attracted collectors and fans from across the country and around the world bidding on original art, memorabilia and furnishings from Berlin’s Manhattan apartment. Daughter of Honey and Richard Berlin, the strait-laced chairman of the Hearst media empire, her marriage at age 19 to a Manhattan window dresser didn’t last but did introduce her to Andy Warhol, who worked down the block. Warhol dubbed her The Duchess and welcomed her into the developing world of The Factory and she introduced Andy to the tape recorder and Polaroid camera, resulting in one of the best documented art movements in history. What is often understated in recounting her relationship with Warhol is that Brigid Berlin was one of the most influential and risk-taking artists of the Twentieth Century. Pugs were among Berlin’s favorites, including Joe Eula’s “Portrait of Brigid Berlin and Her Pug” which sold for $2,520.
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