Once Andy Warhol's muse, 'Baby Jane' Holzer co-curates exhibit that celebrates the artist

It may not happen often in Palm Beach, but sometimes a muse celebrates an artist.

Jane Holzer, dubbed "Baby Jane" by the late Andy Warhol, has co-curated an exhibit of some of his portraits that runs through Sunday at Ben Brown Fine Arts, 244 Worth Ave.

The first of Warhol's "superstars," the Palm Beach native was an original member of Andy Warhol’s "Factory" in the 1960s.

"The idea behind this (exhibit) was that I thought it would be interesting for people to see the portraits of Andy Warhol," Holzer said. "He was a great friend."

The exhibit — Homage to Jane Holzer: Andy Warhol and Les Lalanne — includes two 1975 portraits of Holzer executed on canvas by Warhol in his signature acrylic and silkscreen ink format.

She focused the exhibit on his portraits, she said, because she wanted to share them with her hometown — and "I don’t think it has been done here (in Palm Beach) in depth."

MORE PALM BEACH NEWS: Ukrainian Relief Fund launched by United Way of Palm Beach with $100K from two island couples

MORE ARTS NEWS: Cirque du Soleil exec named new Kravis Center CEO

How did she become his muse? As she tells the story, her meeting Warhol in New York was one of those serendipitous moments that can change lives.

Holzer at the time was celebrated model.

"I was walking up Lexington Ave with photographer David Bailey and Nicky Haslam, who was then the editor of Show magazine ... when Nicky saw Andy across the street and went over and said 'Hello.'"

Holzer and Warhol were introduced. "The first thing he said to me was, 'Do you want to be in the movies?'

"I said: 'Sure.'"

And the rest is art history and more.

They became quick friends and remained such until he died, Holzer said.

The exhibit also features works by the French couple Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne

The exhibit also features works by the French couple Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, whom Holzer described as "dear friends." She met them in the late 1960s and remained friends with them until they died, she said.

Holzer admits the exhibit is an indulgence that gives her the chance to show off artists who are special to her. As co-curator, she selected some of the works while the folks at Ben Brown selected the others.

Warhol, Holzer said, "had a message in this work. He was Instagramming before anyone was Instagramming; he was interviewing before anyone was interviewing.

"There was magic there ... The Europeans bought (his work) long before the Americans."

Why did the Europeans see potential that Americans did not? "They were smarter," she said, laughing.

Holzer, a noted contemporary art collector, self-deprecatingly calls herself "a very stupid connoisseur" because "If I like something and it talks to me I buy it. I never check year, size, etc."

The former supermodel also is a prominent Worth Avenue landlord and investor in other commercial properties and an occasional film producer — she co-produced the 1985 film version of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" starring William Hurt and the late Raul Julia.

Holzer loves the pieces in the exhibit and said, "This is as passionate as it gets for me because of these artists."

Of the works by the Lelannes, she said, "Who wouldn't want to live with these pieces? It's all happy," and added: "Most of Andy was happy."

Asked about Warhol's legacy, Holzer said: "It is vast and as yet to be totally understood and discovered.”

Carol Rose is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at crose@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Once Andy Warhol's muse, Jane Holzer co-curates exhibit of artist's portraits