Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Andy Warhol, an American painter, filmmaker, publisher, and a major figure in the Pop Art movement., was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to immigrants of northeast Slovakia. He showed early artistic talent and studied commercial art at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. In 1949 he moved to New York City and began a successful career in magazine illustration and advertising. He became well-known mainly for his whimsical ink drawings of shoes done in a loose, blotted style.

In the 1960s, he started to make paintings of famous American products like Campbell's soup cans and Coca-Cola. He switched to silkscreen prints, seeking not only to make art of mass produced items, but to mass produce the art itself. He said that he wanted to be like a robot. He hired and supervised "art workers" engaged in making prints, shoes, films, books and other items at his studio, The Factory, located on Union Square in New York City.

A lot of Warhol's works revolve around the concept of Americana and American culture. He painted money, dollar signs, food, groceries, women's shoes, celebrities, and newspaper clippings. To him, these subjects represented American cultural values. He used popular imagery and methods to visualize the American cultural identity of the 20th century. This popular redefinition of American culture is a theme and result of Warhol's art. Because American culture has had great international influence, Warhol did as well.

Outside of the art world, Andy Warhol is best known for saying that "In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes." He later told reporters, humorously, "My new line is, 'In fifteen minutes everybody will be famous.'"

Warhol used to socialize at Serendipity and Studio 54, nightclubs in New York City. Warhol was generally regarded as quiet and a meticulous observer. He was openly gay, rare for celebrities of his stature at the time, and paid tribute to many male friends and workers in his private art and collections.

A meticulous collector, he organized almost every piece of paper, fan mail--after taking off the stamps--and magazine related to his fame along with personal notes, and found artifacts into hundreds of numbered boxes and set them aside, never to open them again. Warhol referred to these boxes as his "time capsule". Many exist today and are available for research at his Pittsburgh museum. Warhol's house, that not many did get invited into, was filled to the brim with his collected art, artifacts and Americana.

Warhol loved to attend social functions. Many of his later commissioned portraits were a direct or indirect result of this networking. As a famous artist, Warhol and his Factory attracted and facilitated many "groupies" and friends that Warhol would take with him when going out. Warhol fell into the habit of calling these friends his Superstars. They would appear in and help him make his work, play in his movies, write his books, hang out and generally become his following.

Warhol would regularly volunteer at the homeless shelters in New York, particularly during the busier times of the year. He described himself as a religious person. Many of his latter works contain almost hidden religious themes or subjects.

On June 3, 1968, Valerie Solanas, a Factory regular, entered Warhol's studio and fired three shots at Warhol, nearly killing him. Although the first two rounds missed, the third passed through Warhol's left lung, spleen, stomach, liver, esophagus and right lung. Solanas then turned the gun on a companion of Warhol, Mario Amaya, injuring his thigh. Warhol survived his injuries, but he never fully recovered. Earlier Solanas had given a script to Warhol, in hopes that he would make a film out of it. Warhol never did, and Solanas felt neglected to the point that she became obsessed with Warhol. She later explained that she had attacked Warhol because, "he had too much control over [her] life." The story of Valerie Solanas was made into the 1995 film I Shot Andy Warhol, starring Lili Taylor and directed by Mary Harron.

In the hospital, his doctors had already declared him deceased, after which he was resuscitated. Warhol has joked that he was now invulnerable, since he had gone through death and came out alive. The shooting, and Warhol's "death" received wide media coverage.

Warhol ultimately forgave Solanas and later satirized the whole event in a subsequent movie.

In 1990 Lou Reed recorded the album Songs for Drella with fellow Velvet Underground alumnus John Cale. Warhol had adopted Reed's band the Velvet Underground as one of his projects in the 1960's. After the band became successful Warhol and band leader Reed started to disagree more and more about the direction the band should take, and the contact between them faded. On the album, Reed apologizes and comes to terms with his part in their conflict.

Warhol died in New York City following routine gall bladder surgery at the age of 58.