• by Fern Siegel , August 19, 2018

Artist Andy Warhol was famed for his love of celebrities — noted in his paintings and Interview, the magazine he created. 

In May, the publication, founded in 1969, closed. It is about to make its comeback.

Interview is set for a September relaunch, featuring transgender model Hari Nef on the cover, per WWD. That will happen once the magazine’s current owner, Peter Brant, sells the publication to Singleton LLC, a company he owns, for $1.5 million. (The September launch is predicated on finishing the deal by August 31.) 

By filing for liquidation, which requires a company to be in such dire financial straits that it is unable to afford to restructure, much less pay creditors, Interview can avoid paying its debts.   

That has serious financial consequences for former partners, staffers and freelancers. Interview can begin anew — without repaying debts, said to be more than $3 million. 

Specifically, former editorial director Fabien Baron, who resigned in April after almost 10 years, sued Interview for $600,000. He claimed he was inappropriately paid for the last three years.  

Also, former associate publisher Jane Katz sued Interview last year, claiming that she was fired without cause and the publication owes her $230,000 in unpaid wages.

In 2016, Interview’s former president Dan Rangone sued the publication for $170,000 in unpaid wages, according to WWD. In November 2016, longtime employee Deborah Blasucci filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Peter Brant and his daughter Kelly Brant, president of Interview. 

Brant intends to operate under the same leadership team, including his daughter Kelly, WWD reports. 

Relaunches are rare in publishing, where many titles have shuttered in a volatile ad market.

A Warhol friend and collector, Brant bought Interview from his estate in 1987 for a reported $10 million, according to Slate. He has published it ever since. The magazine was restarted in 2008 under new management, when noted editor Ingrid Sischy left. 

Brant also owns Art Media Holdings; its magazines include Art in America and Artnews.