Andy Warhol(1928-1987)
- Director
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Andrew Warhol's father, Ondrej, came from the Austria-Hungary Empire
(now Slovakia) in 1912, and sent for his mother, Julia Zavackyová Warholová,
in 1921. His father worked as a construction worker and later as a coal
miner. Around some time, the family moved to Pittsburgh. During his
teenage years, Andy suffered from several nervous breakdowns.
Overcoming this, he graduated from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh
in 1945, and enrolled in the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now
Carnegie-Mellon University), graduating in June 1949. During college,
he met Philip Pearlstein, a fellow
student.
After graduation, Andy Warhol (having dropped the letter 'a' from his
last name) moved to New York City, and shared an apartment with
Pearlstein at St. Mark's Place off of Avenue A for a couple months.
During this time, he moved in and out of several Manhattan apartments.
In New York, he met Tina Fredericks, art
editor of Glamour Magazine. Warhol's early jobs were doing drawings for
Glamour, such as the Success is a Job in New York, and women's shoes.
He also drew advertising for various magazines, including Vogue,
Harper's Bazzar, book jackets, and holiday greeting cards.
During the 1950s, he moved to an apartment on East 75th Street. His
mother moved in with him, and Fritizie Miller become his agent. In
1952, his first solo exhibition was held at Hugo Gallery, New York, of
drawings to illustrate stories by
Truman Capote. He started illustrating
books, beginning with Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette.
Around 1953-1955, he worked for a theater group on the Lower East Side,
and designs sets. It is around that time that he dyed his hair silver.
Warhol published several books, including Twenty Five Cats Named Sam,
and One Blue Pussy. In 1956, he traveled around the world with
Charles Lisanby, a television-set
designer. In April of this year, he was included in his first group
exhibition, Recent Drawings USA, held at the Museum of Modern Art, New
York. He began receiving accolades for his work, with the 35th Annual
Art Directors Club Award for Distinctive Merit, for an I.Miller shoe
advertisement. He published In The Bottom Of My Garden later that year.
In 1957, received 36th Annual Art Directors Club Medal and Award of
Distinctive Merit, for the I.Miller show advertisements, and Life
Magazine published his illustrations for an article, "Crazy Golden
Slippers".
In 1960, Warhol began to make his first paintings. They were based on
comic strips in the likes of Dick Tracy, Popeye, Superman, and two of
Coca-Cola bottles. In 1961, using the Dick Tracy comic strip, he
designed a window display for Lord & Taylor, at this time, major art
galleries around the nation begin noticing his work. In 1962, Warhol
made paintings of dollar bills and Campbell soup cans, and his work was
included in an important exhibition of pop art, The New Realists, held
at Sidney Janis Gallery, New York. In November of this year, Elanor
Ward showed his paintings at Stable Gallery, and the exhibition began a
sensation. In 1963, he rented a studio in a firehouse on East 87th
Street. He met his assistant,
Gerard Malanga, and started making his
first film,
Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of (1964).
Later, he drove to Los Angeles for his second exhibition at the Ferus
Gallery. In November of that year, he found a loft at 231 East 47th
Street, which became his main studio, The Factory. In December, he
began production of Red Jackie, the first of the Jackie series. In
1964, his first solo exhibition in Europe, held at the Galerie Ileana
Sonnebend in Paris, featured the Flower series. He received a
commission from architect
Philip Johnson to make a mural,
entitled Thirteen Most Wanted Men for the New York State Pavilion in
the New York World's Fair. In April, he received an Independent Film
Award from Film Culture magazine. In November, his first solo
exhibition in the US was held at Leo Castelli Gallery. And at this
time, he began his self portrait series.
In the summer of 1965, Andy Warhol met
Paul Morrissey, who became his
advisor and collaborator. His first solo museum exhibition was held at
the Institute of Contempary Art, at the University of Pennsylvania.
During this year, he made a surprise announcement of his retirement
from painting, but it was to be short lived. He would resume painting
again in 1972. It was around this time that he met
Lou Reed,
John Cale,
Sterling Morrison, and
Maureen Tucker (collectively known as
The Velvet Underground), and a
German-born model turned chanteuse called
Nico. He paired Nico with the Velvets, and
they developed a close bond with Warhol. This was an alliance that
forever changed the face of world culture. Warhol produced the group's
first album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, which has been called
"the most influential record ever" by many critics. Later, a multimedia
show developed (called The Exploding Plastic Inevitable), managed, and
produced by Warhol, featuring the Velvet Underground.
In the summer of 1966, Warhol's film
Chelsea Girls (1966) became the
first underground film to be shown at a commercial theater. In 1967,
Chelsea Girls opened in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and six of his
Self Portraits were shown at Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In
August of this year, he gave a lecture at various colleges in the Los
Angeles area, his persona is so popular that some colleges hire
Allen Midgette to impersonate him for
lectures. Later, Warhol moved The Factory to 33 Union Square West, and
met Fred Hughes, who later became
President of Enterprises, and Interview Magazine. In 1968, Warhol's
first solo European museum exhibition was held at Moderna Museet,
Stockholm. But later that year on June 3, 1968, Warhol was shot by
Valerie Solanas, an ultra-radical and
member of the entourage surrounding Warhol. Solanis was the founder of
SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) Fortunately, Warhol survived the
assassination attempt after spending two months in a hospital. This
incident is the subject of the film,
I Shot Andy Warhol (1996).
Afterwards, Andy Warhol dropped out of the filmmaking business, but now
and then continued his contribution to film and art. He never
emotionally recovered from his brush with death.
During the 1970s and 80s, Andy Warhol's status as a media icon
skyrocketed, and he used his influence to back many younger artists. He
began publishing of Interview magazine, with the first issue being
released in fall of 1969. In 1971, his play, entitled Pork, opened at
London at the Round House Theatre. He resumed painting in 1972,
although it was primarily celebrity portraits. The Factory was moved to
860 Broadway, and in 1975, he bought a house on Lexington Street. A
major retrospective of his work is held in Zurich. In 1976, he did the
Skulls, and Hammer and Sickle series. Throughout the late 70s and 80s,
a retrospective exhibition was held, as Warhol began work on the
Reversals, Retrospectives, and Shadows series. The Myths series,
Endangered Species series, and Ads series followed through the early
and mid 1980s. On 22 February 1987, a "day of medical infamy", as
quoted by one biographer, Andy Warhol died following complications from
gall bladder surgery. He was 58 years old.
(now Slovakia) in 1912, and sent for his mother, Julia Zavackyová Warholová,
in 1921. His father worked as a construction worker and later as a coal
miner. Around some time, the family moved to Pittsburgh. During his
teenage years, Andy suffered from several nervous breakdowns.
Overcoming this, he graduated from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh
in 1945, and enrolled in the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now
Carnegie-Mellon University), graduating in June 1949. During college,
he met Philip Pearlstein, a fellow
student.
After graduation, Andy Warhol (having dropped the letter 'a' from his
last name) moved to New York City, and shared an apartment with
Pearlstein at St. Mark's Place off of Avenue A for a couple months.
During this time, he moved in and out of several Manhattan apartments.
In New York, he met Tina Fredericks, art
editor of Glamour Magazine. Warhol's early jobs were doing drawings for
Glamour, such as the Success is a Job in New York, and women's shoes.
He also drew advertising for various magazines, including Vogue,
Harper's Bazzar, book jackets, and holiday greeting cards.
During the 1950s, he moved to an apartment on East 75th Street. His
mother moved in with him, and Fritizie Miller become his agent. In
1952, his first solo exhibition was held at Hugo Gallery, New York, of
drawings to illustrate stories by
Truman Capote. He started illustrating
books, beginning with Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette.
Around 1953-1955, he worked for a theater group on the Lower East Side,
and designs sets. It is around that time that he dyed his hair silver.
Warhol published several books, including Twenty Five Cats Named Sam,
and One Blue Pussy. In 1956, he traveled around the world with
Charles Lisanby, a television-set
designer. In April of this year, he was included in his first group
exhibition, Recent Drawings USA, held at the Museum of Modern Art, New
York. He began receiving accolades for his work, with the 35th Annual
Art Directors Club Award for Distinctive Merit, for an I.Miller shoe
advertisement. He published In The Bottom Of My Garden later that year.
In 1957, received 36th Annual Art Directors Club Medal and Award of
Distinctive Merit, for the I.Miller show advertisements, and Life
Magazine published his illustrations for an article, "Crazy Golden
Slippers".
In 1960, Warhol began to make his first paintings. They were based on
comic strips in the likes of Dick Tracy, Popeye, Superman, and two of
Coca-Cola bottles. In 1961, using the Dick Tracy comic strip, he
designed a window display for Lord & Taylor, at this time, major art
galleries around the nation begin noticing his work. In 1962, Warhol
made paintings of dollar bills and Campbell soup cans, and his work was
included in an important exhibition of pop art, The New Realists, held
at Sidney Janis Gallery, New York. In November of this year, Elanor
Ward showed his paintings at Stable Gallery, and the exhibition began a
sensation. In 1963, he rented a studio in a firehouse on East 87th
Street. He met his assistant,
Gerard Malanga, and started making his
first film,
Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of (1964).
Later, he drove to Los Angeles for his second exhibition at the Ferus
Gallery. In November of that year, he found a loft at 231 East 47th
Street, which became his main studio, The Factory. In December, he
began production of Red Jackie, the first of the Jackie series. In
1964, his first solo exhibition in Europe, held at the Galerie Ileana
Sonnebend in Paris, featured the Flower series. He received a
commission from architect
Philip Johnson to make a mural,
entitled Thirteen Most Wanted Men for the New York State Pavilion in
the New York World's Fair. In April, he received an Independent Film
Award from Film Culture magazine. In November, his first solo
exhibition in the US was held at Leo Castelli Gallery. And at this
time, he began his self portrait series.
In the summer of 1965, Andy Warhol met
Paul Morrissey, who became his
advisor and collaborator. His first solo museum exhibition was held at
the Institute of Contempary Art, at the University of Pennsylvania.
During this year, he made a surprise announcement of his retirement
from painting, but it was to be short lived. He would resume painting
again in 1972. It was around this time that he met
Lou Reed,
John Cale,
Sterling Morrison, and
Maureen Tucker (collectively known as
The Velvet Underground), and a
German-born model turned chanteuse called
Nico. He paired Nico with the Velvets, and
they developed a close bond with Warhol. This was an alliance that
forever changed the face of world culture. Warhol produced the group's
first album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, which has been called
"the most influential record ever" by many critics. Later, a multimedia
show developed (called The Exploding Plastic Inevitable), managed, and
produced by Warhol, featuring the Velvet Underground.
In the summer of 1966, Warhol's film
Chelsea Girls (1966) became the
first underground film to be shown at a commercial theater. In 1967,
Chelsea Girls opened in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and six of his
Self Portraits were shown at Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In
August of this year, he gave a lecture at various colleges in the Los
Angeles area, his persona is so popular that some colleges hire
Allen Midgette to impersonate him for
lectures. Later, Warhol moved The Factory to 33 Union Square West, and
met Fred Hughes, who later became
President of Enterprises, and Interview Magazine. In 1968, Warhol's
first solo European museum exhibition was held at Moderna Museet,
Stockholm. But later that year on June 3, 1968, Warhol was shot by
Valerie Solanas, an ultra-radical and
member of the entourage surrounding Warhol. Solanis was the founder of
SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) Fortunately, Warhol survived the
assassination attempt after spending two months in a hospital. This
incident is the subject of the film,
I Shot Andy Warhol (1996).
Afterwards, Andy Warhol dropped out of the filmmaking business, but now
and then continued his contribution to film and art. He never
emotionally recovered from his brush with death.
During the 1970s and 80s, Andy Warhol's status as a media icon
skyrocketed, and he used his influence to back many younger artists. He
began publishing of Interview magazine, with the first issue being
released in fall of 1969. In 1971, his play, entitled Pork, opened at
London at the Round House Theatre. He resumed painting in 1972,
although it was primarily celebrity portraits. The Factory was moved to
860 Broadway, and in 1975, he bought a house on Lexington Street. A
major retrospective of his work is held in Zurich. In 1976, he did the
Skulls, and Hammer and Sickle series. Throughout the late 70s and 80s,
a retrospective exhibition was held, as Warhol began work on the
Reversals, Retrospectives, and Shadows series. The Myths series,
Endangered Species series, and Ads series followed through the early
and mid 1980s. On 22 February 1987, a "day of medical infamy", as
quoted by one biographer, Andy Warhol died following complications from
gall bladder surgery. He was 58 years old.