Ultra Violet (Isabelle Collin Dufresne)
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Isabelle Collin Dufresne (born 6 September 1935 in La Tronche, Grenoble, France; stage name Ultra Violet) is a French-American artist, author and former colleague of Andy Warhol.
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[edit] Early life
Isabelle Dufresne was brought up in a strictly religious family but rebelled at an early age. She was exorcised as a young woman and instructed at a Catholic school. In 1951, she left France to try her luck in New York. After a meeting with Salvador Dalí, she became his "muse” and pupil and then became an artist in her own right. In the 1960s, Dufresne began to follow the progressive American art scene including Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and James Rosenquist.
[edit] Warhol and the Factory
She eventually came into contact with Andy Warhol and his Factory. In 1964, she selected the stage name Ultra Violet at Warhol's suggestion because it was her preferred fashion—her hair color at the time was normally violet or lilac colored. She became the first "superstar" in Warhol's Factory and played multiple roles in his films. However, towards the late 1960's, she was "dethroned" in favor of Viva, a more recent discovery. After difficulties with drugs and a collapse in which she was pronounced clinically dead, she finally separated completely from The Factory and concentrated on her own artwork.
[edit] Later Career
In the mid 1970s, she published her autobiography, “Famous for 15 Minutes: My Years with Andy Warhol”, a balanced account of the Warhol Era. After a comprehensive review of the book in the New York Times, it was published worldwide. Afterwards, she returned to France; in 1990, she opened a studio in Nice and wrote a book detailing her own ideas about art, “L'Ultratique”.
[edit] Books
- Isabelle Dufresne/Ultra Violet: Famous for 15 Minutes. My Years With Andy Warhol. English-language edition in paperback. Avon Books, 1990, ISBN 0-380-70843-4
- Isabelle Dufresne/Ultra Violet: Andy Warhol, Superstar. ISBN 3-7857-0535-2 (German, at present only a second-hand example available)
[edit] Filmography
- Blackout (1994) .... Arlette
- An Unmarried Woman (1978) .... Lady MacBeth
- Curse of the Headless Horseman (1974) .... Contessa Isabel du Fren
- Bad Charleston Charlie (1973)
- Savages (1972) .... Iliona, a Decadent
- Believe in Me (1971) .... Patient
- The Telephone Book (1971) .... Whip Woman
- Simon, King of the Witches (1971) .... Sarah
- Taking Off (1971) .... SPFC Member
- Dinah East (1970) .... Daniela
- Brand X (1970) .... Singer
- The Phynx (1970) .... Felice
- Cleopatra (1970)
- Midnight Cowboy (1969) .... The Party
- The Secret Life of Hernando Cortez (1969) .... Daughter of Montezuma
- **** (1967)
- I, a Man (1967)
- The Life of Juanita Castro (1965)
