Peter Wise

Peter Wise emerges in Andy Warhol’s diary less through formal biography than through what he does for others: he opens his home, cooks, drives, and makes himself available when friends are in difficulty. His house in East Falmouth, with its greenhouse and garden, gives the diary a recurring Cape Cod setting, while his relationships with Christopher Makos and Edmund Gaultney reveal a more personal role built around care and shared domestic life.

Home and hospitality

When Warhol, Christopher Makos, and Jon Gould arrived on Cape Cod in May 1981, Peter was already waiting for them. The plane had cost about $800, paid for by check; from the airport, Peter drove them to his house and showed them around, taking the tour as far as the greenhouse. He also helped settle everyone into rooms. Vincent and Shelly were expected after work, and the group spent the day and evening waiting for them to arrive. The diary records the practical details, but they establish Peter’s house as a place where visitors could gather and stay.

The next day, Peter’s hospitality took a more domestic form. He made apple pancakes, called applejacks, and served them with real maple syrup and bacon. He then drove with the group to a flea market in Mashpee and the Thornton Burgess Museum, where they fed swans and ducks with Wonder Bread Christopher had bought. The outing continued to Sandy Neck for fried clams and fried fish, with ketchup, milkshakes, and frappes; the meal cost $35 including the tip. Peter’s hosting thus extended beyond the house into a full day of shared excursions, meals, and driving.

Christopher Makos and a weekend of conflict

The Cape visit also gives Peter a close view of the charged dynamic between Christopher and Jon. While Peter and Warhol went into another room to talk, a water-pistol fight broke out in the back room. Christopher eventually surrendered after being cornered in a bathroom; Jon and Shelly were described as winning by being sneaky. Christopher then slapped Jon in the face. Jon stood there and said it did not hurt, while Christopher described himself as someone who had to win, decide what was right, and get whatever he wanted. Warhol’s account speculates that Christopher liked being slapped, but the diary does not establish Peter’s interpretation of the incident. What it does show is that Peter was present in the household during a weekend when play suddenly became a test of power and intimacy.

Peter’s plans for that house were bound up with his relationship with Christopher. In July, Warhol heard from Christopher that Peter wanted to stay on the Cape for the summer, make art, and care for the garden, which had been neglected since Peter’s father died. Peter imagined making art there and selling it in the city during the winter, a plan Warhol considered sound. Christopher, however, could not tolerate family life, even though Peter’s mother was there and approved of the couple being together. The entry also sketches Peter’s family circumstances: his father was Greek, his mother was Italian and lived in California, and Peter lived with a Chinese man. The practical appeal of a summer devoted to art and gardening therefore sat alongside the difficulty Christopher felt about living within a family setting.

Care in moments of strain

By April 1982, the marriage was in trouble. Christopher came to see Warhol after Peter had stayed out until three in the morning; Christopher had become hysterical and cried. Warhol was struck by the contrast with the strong person he thought he knew, and by Christopher’s unexpected vulnerability, which led him to feel greater affection for him. He decided that he should help keep the marriage together and invited the couple to dinner. Peter is not given a speaking part in this account, but the crisis makes clear that his relationship with Christopher was central enough for Warhol to intervene when it seemed under threat.

Peter’s care also extended beyond his household. In November 1985, Edmund Gaultney had regained some weight and was looking better after stopping a macrobiotic diet; Peter was cooking food for him. A later entry records both loss and relief: Rupert’s friend Patrick had died in a Maryland hospital at three in the morning while taking a shower. Patrick had been receiving a new treatment, and the circumstances left the cause uncertain. In the same account, Edmund had been discharged from the hospital, and Peter was going over to cook for him. The two details place Peter’s cooking within a broader pattern of practical support during illness and recovery, rather than treating it as merely a social kindness.

The Cape as a continuing connection

Peter remained a useful link between New York and the Cape. In April 1986, he agreed to fly with Warhol to a wedding near his house and drive him back to the plane. On the morning of the trip, Peter arrived early, before Grace Jones was ready; he had gone to collect her and was told to return in an hour. After picking her up in the Village, Peter accompanied the group on the flight to Hyannis. He rented a yellow station wagon, knew where the church was, and drove them there before going to check on his house in East Falmouth. The sequence reprises his earlier role as host and guide, now on a tightly timed celebrity journey rather than a leisurely weekend.

Across these entries, Peter is characterized by a steady, concrete presence: the person waiting at the airport, showing guests around his house, making breakfast, planning a summer of art and gardening, cooking for an unwell friend, and navigating a wedding-day trip. The diary does not offer a comprehensive account of his life, but its repeated scenes make his significance legible through action. His home and care connect the social world of Warhol’s circle to the quieter obligations of partnership, family, illness, and everyday hospitality.