Frederick W. Hughes

Fred Hughes
Fred Hughes by Billy Name
Born(1943-07-29)July 29, 1943
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 14, 2001(2001-01-14) (aged 57)
New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationUniversity of St. Thomas
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseMarina Schiano

Frederick W. Hughes (better known as Fred Hughes) ( July 29, 1943 – January 14, 2001) was an American businessman. He was artist Andy Warhol's business manager for 20 years and the executor of his estate following his death in 1987. Hughes founded the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and served as chairman of the foundation until 1990 when he was forced out by the man he appointed President of the enterprise, Archibald L. Gillies.

Life and career

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Hughes was born in Dallas, Texas on July 29, 1943.[1] In 1947, his family moved to Houston, Texas and Hughes began taking art classes at the Museum of Fine Arts at the age of 7. He majored in art history at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, but he did not graduate.[1]

While studying at the university, Hughes was mentored by John and Dominique de Menil, heirs to the Schlumberger oil fortune, who financed the art history department at St. Thomas.[2] He accompanied them on art-buying trips to New York and Europe, and they helped him get his first job at the Alexander Iolas Gallery in Paris.[1]

In 1967, Hughes met artist Andy Warhol at a benefit for Merce Cunningham at Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut.[1] Hughes recalled the meeting in an interview in The New Yorker: "I never questioned whether we'd get along or not. For one thing, he knew who I was, and he saw the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, just like I did."[1] Hughes became Warhol's business manager and he was later the publisher of Interview magazine.

Hughes was sitting at his desk at The Factory when Valerie Solanas shot Warhol on June 3, 1968.[3] As Solanas contemplated shooting Hughes she got distracted by the sound of the elevator and then exited the building.[4] Hughes and Factory assistant Jed Johnson were questioned by police because they had witnessed the shooting.[4][5]

Hughes was briefly married to Italian model Marina Schiano in the 1970s.[6]

Considered a style inspiration by young people at The Factory, Hughes wore suits by Everall Brothers and Anderson & Sheppard, shoes by Lobb, and fragrance from Penhaligon's.[7] He was featured in an article about the revival of 1930s and 1940s fashion in the February 1971 issue of Life magazine.[8]

Following Warhol's death in February 1987, Hughes was bequeathed $250,000 and appointed executor of his estate.[9] He founded the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in 1987. Hughes served as chairman of the foundation until 1990 when he was forced out by the man he appointed President of the enterprise, Archibald L. Gillies.[1]

Death

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Hughes suffered from multiple sclerosis for eighteen years and succumbed to the ailment at the age of 57 on January 14, 2001.[10][11] He was survived by his mother, Jennie Wilson Hughes, a sister, Mary-Beth Hansard, and a brother, Thomas.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Frederick Hughes, manager for Andy Warhol, dies at 57". Chron. January 17, 2001. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  2. ^ "A Farewell to Dapper Fred Hughes: He Oversaw Andy's Factory Empire". The New York Observer. 29 January 2001.
  3. ^ Spencer, Samuel (2022-03-10). "When and Why Andy Warhol Was Shot". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  4. ^ a b Warhol, Andy (1980). POPism: The Warhol '60s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. pp. 272–274, 278. ISBN 978-0-15-173095-7.
  5. ^ "Figures In Warhol Drama". Newsday (Nassau ed.). 1968-06-04. p. 32. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  6. ^ "Remembering Marina Schiano: Model, Muse, and Magnate". Vogue. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  7. ^ DiGiacomo, Frank (29 January 2001). "A Farewell to Dapper Fred Hughes: He Oversaw Andy's Factory Empire". Observer.
  8. ^ "Bright Lips of Yesterday". Time. 70 (6). Time Inc: 56. February 1971.
  9. ^ Michelini, Alex (1987-02-26). "Andy framed it legal". Daily News. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  10. ^ Vogel, Carol (16 January 2001). "Frederick Hughes, Collector and Warhol's Manager, 57". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "The House That Fred Built | Vanity Fair | August 1993".
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