Willard Maas
Encyclopedia
Willard Maas was an American
experimental film
maker and poet
.
. The couple, married in 1937, achieved some renown in New York City
's modern art world from the 1940s through the 1960s, both for their experimental films and for their salons, which brought together artists, writers, filmmakers and intellectuals.
According to their associate, Andy Warhol
, "Willard and Marie were the last of the great bohemians
. They wrote and filmed and drank—their friends called them "scholarly drunks"—and were involved with all the modern poets."
In the 1960s, Maas was a faculty member at Wagner College
and an organizer of the New York City Writer's Conference at the college where Edward Albee
was a writer in residence.
The filmmaker Kenneth Anger
indicates that Maas and Menken may have been a significant part of the inspiration for the characters of George and Martha in Edward Albee's 1962 play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
.
Maas died on January 2, 1971, four days after Menken had died of alcohol related illness. He was cremated.
The Maas/Menken materials and letters are located at the University of Texas at Austin
. A selection of these items is on deposit/loan (in Trust) at the Anthology Film Archives
in New York. The Willard Maas Papers—a collection of approximately 500 letters, manuscripts, page proofs, photographs, drawings, play scripts, and film scripts from the period 1931-1967—is housed at Brown University
.
has alleged that Maas performed fellatio
on DeVeren Bookwalter
for Andy Warhol
's short film Blow Job
(1964), although Warhol claimed otherwise in his memoir
Popism: The Warhol Sixties
(1980).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
maker and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Personal life and career
He was the husband of filmmaker Marie MenkenMarie Menken
Marie Menkevicius was an American experimental filmmaker and socialite.-Early life:The daughter of Catholic-Lithuanian immigrants, she grew up in Brooklyn.-Personal life:...
. The couple, married in 1937, achieved some renown in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's modern art world from the 1940s through the 1960s, both for their experimental films and for their salons, which brought together artists, writers, filmmakers and intellectuals.
According to their associate, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, "Willard and Marie were the last of the great bohemians
Bohemian style
In modern usage, the term "Bohemian" is applied to people who live unconventional, usually artistic, lives. The adherents of the "Bloomsbury Group", which formed around the Stephen sisters, Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf in the early 20th century, are among the best-known examples...
. They wrote and filmed and drank—their friends called them "scholarly drunks"—and were involved with all the modern poets."
In the 1960s, Maas was a faculty member at Wagner College
Wagner College
Wagner College is a private, co-educational, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 total students located atop Grymes Hill in New York City's borough of Staten Island...
and an organizer of the New York City Writer's Conference at the college where Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
was a writer in residence.
The filmmaker Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger is an American underground experimental filmmaker, occasional actor and author...
indicates that Maas and Menken may have been a significant part of the inspiration for the characters of George and Martha in Edward Albee's 1962 play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider...
.
Maas died on January 2, 1971, four days after Menken had died of alcohol related illness. He was cremated.
The Maas/Menken materials and letters are located at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. A selection of these items is on deposit/loan (in Trust) at the Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives
__notoc__Anthology Film Archives is a film archive and theater located at 32 Second Avenue on the corner of East Second Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City devoted to the preservation and exhibition of experimental film. It is the only non-profit organization of its...
in New York. The Willard Maas Papers—a collection of approximately 500 letters, manuscripts, page proofs, photographs, drawings, play scripts, and film scripts from the period 1931-1967—is housed at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
.
Private life
The poet Gerard MalangaGerard Malanga
Gerard Joseph Malanga is an American poet, photographer, filmmaker, curator and archivist.-Early life:Born in the Bronx, New York, Malanga graduated from the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan and attended Wagner College on Staten Island...
has alleged that Maas performed fellatio
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on DeVeren Bookwalter
DeVeren Bookwalter
DeVeren Bookwalter was a theatre actor and director who became the first person to win three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for his production, direction and performance in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Globe Playhouse in 1975.Bookwalter served as a member of the board of trustees of the...
for Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's short film Blow Job
Blow Job (film)
Blow Job is a silent film, directed by Andy Warhol, that was filmed in January 1964. The 35-minute film is an innovative film, considering the time period. It depicts the face of an uncredited DeVeren Bookwalter as he receives fellatio from an unseen homosexual partner...
(1964), although Warhol claimed otherwise in his memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
Popism: The Warhol Sixties
Popism: The Warhol Sixties
Popism: The Warhol Sixties is a 1980 memoir by the American artist Andy Warhol . It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich....
(1980).
As director
- 1943 - Geography of the Body (with Marie Menken)
- 1955 - The Mechanics of Love (with Ben Moore) original zither score by John Gruen
- 1943-48 - Image in the Snow
- 1956 - Narcissus (a film poem by Ben Moore and Willard Maas)
- 1966 - Andy Warhol's Silver Flotations
- 1967 - Orgia
As cinematographer
- 1955 - Dionysis (directed by Charles Boultenhouse, co-cinematography by Menken)
- 1956 - Narcissus