Warhol! One of the best known artists of the 20th century
Andy Warhol was a great American painter, an icon of the art movement called Pop Art.
And he not only left his mark on the canvases, but also expressed himself and tried many forms of art
Before to his breakthrough in painting, he was a much sought-after designer in New York’s major magazines, and even after being a pop art artist and becoming a star, he continued to reinvent himself more and more often and took risks in new careers.
Andy Warhol has found new ways to express his creativity, making movies, writing plays and books, producing music, working for the Velvet Underground Band, founding Interview Magazine, creating sculptures and even been nominated for a Grammy.
Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, the youngest son of an immigrant couple. At age eight, his parents discovered that he had a disease called “Chorea Minor” it is known as pigmentation disorder.
With illness came seclusion and loneliness, his mother and older brothers distracted him by teaching how to draw.
At that time he drawing, collecting images of movie stars and listening to the radio. Later Andy described this period was where he really developed his personality, skills and preferences.
At age 17, in 1945, he entered the Carnegie Institution of Technology in Pittsburgh and graduated in design. After finishing college, Andy Warhol moved to New York and got a job as a graphic designer.
Andy Warhol began producing canvas with images taken from newspapers, using photos of tragic accidents
In the early 60’s he began to make his first artworks using the silkscreen process, which until then wasn’t considered art, and with acrylic paint.
At that time he also Begins to do copied of everyday products using cardboard and wood, products like soap powered and cereal packaging, begins a series of works that would make it famous, ordinary objects of everyday life becoming artistic works.
From 1962, Andy Warhol painted portraits of many celebrities including Liz Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy
In his creation process Andy inaugurates its own studio “The Factory” and the place start of being frequented by celebrities and it would become the epicenter of the scene of underground art of New York.
He was also the manager, mentor and sponsor of the band “The Velvet Underground,” whose performances have become legendary.
Forcing the entry of his friend model and singer Nico in the band, the members to make it clear that Nico was in the band just because of Warhol they release the album The Velvet Underground and Nico, making it clear to Warhol´s friend wasn´t welcome.
In addition to creating Album cover art for the Velvet Underground, he made album cover for the Rolling Stones, John Cale and Aretha Franklin. His 1971 cover of the Rolling Stones album, Sticky Fingers – an image of a man’s groin with a zipper – was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover.
In 1968, Andy Warhol was shot by Valerie Solanas
The actress, feminist, would been angry with Andy Warhol, said that he direct the scenes a lot and she did not like it.
Warhol was hospitalized for months recovering from the assassination attempt and after that he changed his address and his life was no longer as it was, he became more reserved and his new studio was monitored by cameras.
In 1969 Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock founded Interview Magazine
It was called “The Crystal Ball of Pop,” because it featured interviews with the greatest creative thinkers, among them celebrities, writers, musicians, artists. With his camera Andy Warhol recorded, interviewed and often did not edit the long testimonials given to him in Studio 54, a nightclub very well frequented by the famous people about the music, movies and TV of that time.
In the 70’s and 80’s Andy returns to paint portraits, was criticized for being less original than in the 60’s, they said he was more concerned with making money than making art. He painted portraits for John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Brigitte Bardot, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, Empress Farah Pahlavi, and her sister Princess Ashraf Pahlavi.
Warhol produced films and wrote books and plays
In 1979, several negative comments were made about his paint of celebrities portrait (the exhibition was a retrospective of the works produced in the 1970s), critics said that Andy was superficial, easy and commercial, without depth or without indication of importance.
After these negative reviews, the 80’s begins and Andy Warhol needs to reinvent himself
Basquiat and Andy Warhol!
It begins to partner with new artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, David Salle and other members of the European avant-garde, including Francesco Clemente and Enzo Cucchi.
The most successful partnership with these new artists certainly was with Basquiat.
They met through a mutual friend, art dealer Bruno Bischofberger, who says that Basquiat idolized Andy Warhol to the point of having a picture of him on his bed. At lunch they met Andy Warhol was very impressed with the young artist Basquiat.
The artistic partnership was certainly very productive, they created several pieces together, the artwork “Ten Punching Bags” was inspired by the mutual love of Andy and Basquiat by Boxing.
Other works created together, such as the “Olympic Rings” and “Untitled 1984-85”, were successful and expanded opportunities for both. Basquiat became more famous and managed to become more active and Warhol also won with the partnership and was artistically renewed.
The death…
On February 22, 1987, Warhol died unexpectedly in a New York hospital after a gallbladder operation.
After his death, Basquiat went into depression and isolated himself even more, and despite attempts to stay sober and away from drugs he died of overdose a year after his idol’s death in 1988.
Even after his death Andy Warhol continues to surprise even more, and since 1994 the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh features drawings, films, photographs and sculptures from the master of pop art. But perhaps the most unpublished work is Andy Warhol’s Time Capsule.
Andy Warhol was an obsessive collector
Since 1974 he has been storing all sorts of things and playing in cardboard boxes, from newspaper clippings, napkins, company cutlery areas, childhood memories, his mother’s drawings, to pieces of cake.
Time Capsules de Warhol
When he changed his address studio one of his assistants suggested that these boxes might be Time Capsules since they had all sorts of objects from different years inside them, Andy loved the idea and decided to keep the collection until the end of his days.
“I don´t think it will soon be the end of Pop Art. People are interested and buy again, but I can´t tell you what Pop Art is, it’s very complicated. It consists of taking what is outside and putting it, or putting it into practice, to introduce things common to people”
Today, Warhol’s Time Capsules are in the archives of the museum called his name
Gradually the boxes are being opened and their items being cataloged. There is always the content of a Time Capsule on display on the third floor of the museum.
Andy Warhol remains a timeless artist, always reinventing himself, discovered himself in new arts and new artists, as a result leaving a great legacy to the world.
In Brazil, the Artist Lobo has Warhol as inspiration
Click here and learn more about the Pop Art of the Brazilian artist.
See too:
Custom Canvas in Pop Art
Artworks inspired by Cities around the World
