Fright Wigs

Andy Warhol's 'fright wigs' are currently on display at Tate Modern, along with 100 artworks.

Three precisely coiffured wigs Andy Warhol probably glued to his head because he feared they would “fly off” are on display in the UK for the first time.

Gregor Muir, the co-curator, said the London gallery wanted to display the wigs because they shone a unique light on the artist.

“They are incredible objects, which he would have had a say in, in terms of their design … the way they are dark at the back and blonde at the front,” he said. “The wigs are part of Warhol’s persona, and Warhol himself was an artwork.”

Warhol was bald from his 20s and his early wigs were quite conservative. “They are a man who wants to blend in,” Muir said. As Warhol got older they became wilder, more silvery “and, in some ways, scarier”.

He used strong glues and lots of product, Muir said. “He was so fearful of the idea it would fly off.”

Next to the wigs is one of Warhol’s instantly recognisable “fright wig” self portraits, created in 1986. (see extra)