It is unlikely that one could map the course of contemporary art without acknowledging the extraordinary impact of American artist and film director Andy Warhol. He is undoubtedly the pioneer of the pop art movement, which included iconography reflecting changing trends in mass and popular culture, a dramatic shift from traditionalism and fine artistry. Warhol is distinguished for exploring the interplay between art, celebrity culture, mass media and advertising. He is perhaps best known for his lurid, universally recognisable silkscreen paintings, the most famous of which is the Campbell’s Soup Cans painting.
Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began his career as a commercial illustrator. His New York studio, which he named The Factory, became a hub for his illustrious patrons, friends and protégés. He popularized the phrase “15 minutes of fame” by endorsing a select lineup of individuals whom he touted as “Warhol’s Superstars”, ranging from celebrities, affluent patrons, drag queens and literati. He founded Interview Magazine, which allowed him to effectively create an anthology of people, products and businesses that he endorsed and propped up. In fact, much of what Warhol did during this time can be described as producing, from his collaboration with experimental rock band The Velvet Underground to his critically acclaimed films Empire and Chelsea Girls. The amalgam of all his creative undertakings manifested itself in the form of a multimedia event display known as The Exploding Plastic Inevitable, which featured musical and dance performances, film screenings of Warhol’s films and performances by some of Warhol’s Superstars.
Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 to Julia and Ondrej Warhola, who were working class emigrants from Austria-Hungary. He attended Schenley High School before enrolling at the Carnegie Institute of Technology to study commercial art. He became a member of the Modern Dance Club and Beaux Arts Society, and also became the art director of the art magazine, Cano. In 1949, Warhol received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in pictorial design and moved to New York to begin his career as a commercial illustrator. Here, he worked with some of the biggest publications in America, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New Yorker.
Today, Warhol’s work can be viewed in museums and galleries around the world. His incredible legacy lives on in the form of numerous posthumous artistic honors, including retrospectives of his work at the most prestigious museums in the world. The Andy Warhol Museum in Pennsylvania has become one of the most famous tourist landmarks in the area, and proceeds from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the visual arts are used to uplift artists and institutions around the world.
