Nicky Haslam

Nicky Haslam is a recurring presence in the social world recorded in Andy Warhol’s diary, appearing at a New York lunch and as a host during Warhol’s London visit. The entries reveal little biographical detail, but show him helping to connect a circle of artists, entertainers, and fashionable guests through shared meals and parties.

In Warhol’s New York circle

On March 10, 1978, Haslam was at Quo Vadis for lunch when Warhol interviewed Kirk Douglas. He was there with Sybil Burton Christopher; Lally Weymouth also came over, and Bobby Zarem paid for the meal. Douglas was charming, Warhol noted, and asked that his name be left at the door of Studio 54 for that night. Haslam’s appearance places him within a gathering where an interview, celebrity conversation, and plans for a nightclub visit flowed together.

A London host

During Warhol’s London stay in June 1978, Haslam gave a party at Pat Harmsworth’s home on Eaton Square, which Warhol remembered as a memorable evening and a repayment for the hospitality Haslam had received in New York. Harmsworth’s husband owned Esquire, Soho News, and the Evening Standard. The party brought together an international social set: Warhol talked with Clarissa Baring and with a man who said he had invented the waterbed and was now developing a floating cloud bed. The diary also records Jimmy Connors making sexual advances to women and Fred Hughes behaving peculiarly toward Warhol. These details sketch the party’s lively, sometimes unruly atmosphere without making Haslam responsible for the other guests’ conduct.

Hospitality and the London circuit

Haslam’s hosting continued beyond the Eaton Square party. After Warhol left London, Haslam gave a dinner for Fred Hughes at a restaurant on the King’s Road. Warhol stayed in the city only briefly, while Fred and Bob Colacello remained, so the dinner also marks Haslam’s continued role in the group’s social life after Warhol’s departure. In the diary, his presence is conveyed through these acts of gathering people: first as an attendee at a New York lunch, then as the host of a memorable London party and a dinner for Fred.