NICO
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Nico was the original top model, actress, singer, one of the most fascinating and mysterious women of the multimedia revolution of The Sixties.
At age 14 Nico started modeling in a Berlin fashion house. A year later, she was sent on assignment to Ibiza, Spain, and began a lifelong involvement with the island where she died in 1988. There she met the photographer who gave her the name Nico, after a boyfriend of his, called Nico Papatakis.
Here posing for fashion photographer Jeanloup Sieff.
Soon after having a a small role in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, Nico went to New York, in 1960, to model and study acting. In November 1962 she had a big role in the French movie Strip-Tease.
In 1964 she met Brian Jones, and the Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who recorded her first single produced by Jimmy Page. Later in Paris, Nico met Bob Dylan who wrote a song for her first album Chelsea Girl.
Early seventies in magazine ads for Spanish brandy brand Terry.
Bob Dylan introduced Her to Andy Warhol who featured her in his and Paul Morrisey’s experimental films. From that time is her most Critically-acclaimed role as herself in Warhol’s Chelsea Girls.
Legend has it that Nico told Andy: ‘I want to sing’ and he introduced her to his protégés, The Velvet Underground. She joined the band to sing in long improvisations as part of Warhol’s mixed-media show Exploding Plastic Inevitable, as well as the classic’s Femme Fatale, All Tomorrow’s Parties and I’ll Be Your Mirror.
At that point Nico gave up modeling and spent a year touring with them. But even before the legendary Banana album was released she went her own way; the band worried about being eclipsed by her haunting, charismatic presence and forced her out of the line-up. The main reason was trouble between her, Lou and John Cale, jealously in love and hate, something Andy loved to witness.
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