Eve Babitz (Author)

Her first brush with notoriety came in 1963, when a photograph captured a nude, 20-year-old Babitz playing chess with artist Marcel Duchamp. The image, taken by Julian Wasser, is now considered a key documentary image of American modern art. That moment set the tone for a career that intertwined with the cultural life of Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s.

Babitz began her independent career as an artist, working in the music industry for Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records, where she made album covers. In the late 1960s, she designed covers for Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. Her most famous cover was a collage for the 1967 album Buffalo Springfield Again.

As a writer, her articles and short stories appeared in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire. She authored several books, including Eve's Hollywood, Slow Days, Fast Company, Sex and Rage, Two By Two, L.A. Woman, and Black Swans. Beginning with Eve's Hollywood, her writing blended fiction and memoir, capturing the cultural scene of Los Angeles with references to the artists, musicians, writers, and actors of the era.

Babitz was known for her long list of romantic conquests, including Jim Morrison, Harrison Ford, and Steve Martin. She reportedly suggested that Steve Martin adopt his white suit.

In 1997, she suffered severe injuries when a lit match ignited her gauze skirt, causing life-threatening burns over half her body. After that, she lived in seclusion until her death in 2021.