Andy Warhol Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Full Name: Andrew Warhola Jr.
• Birth and Death: August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987
• Nationality: American
• Professions: Visual artist, film director, producer
• Movement: Leading figure in the Pop Art movement

Key Contributions

• Innovations: Explored artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture
• Media: Painting, sculpture, photography, film
• Famous Works:
  • Paintings: Campbell's Soup Cans (1962), Marilyn Diptych (1962)
  • Films: Chelsea Girls (1966)
  • Events: Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966-67)

Early Life and Education

• Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Heritage: Rusyn immigrants
• Education: Carnegie Institute of Technology, studied commercial art

Career Highlights

1950s

• Successful as a commercial illustrator
• Developed "blotted line" technique
• First solo show at Hugo Gallery, New York

1960s

• Opened studio "The Factory" in NYC
• Transitioned to Pop Art
• Introduced silkscreen printmaking
• Managed the Velvet Underground
• Survived an assassination attempt in 1968

1970s

• Focused more on business and celebrity culture
• Founded Interview magazine
• Known for commissioned portraits of celebrities

1980s

• Collaborations with younger artists (Basquiat, Schnabel)
• Continued to influence pop culture

Style and Techniques

• Pop Art Pioneering: Used mundane objects as art (soup cans, dollar bills)
• Silkscreen: Mass production style, often used assistants
• Themes: Consumerism, celebrity, mass media

Personal Life

• Sexual Identity: Openly gay; a part of LGBTQ arts culture
• Religion: Practicing Ruthenian Catholic; often included religious themes in art

Death

• Died at 58 post-gallbladder surgery complications

Legacy

• Influence: Profound impact on art market
• Museum: The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh – largest museum dedicated to a single artist in the U.S.
• Art Market: Works among the most expensive in the world

Important Dates and Events

• 1968: Assassination attempt by Valerie Solanas
• 1987: Death from cardiac arrhythmia

Notable Collaborations

• Film and Music: Managed the Velvet Underground, worked with avant-garde artists

Major Exhibitions and Auctions

• Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) sold for $105 million in 2013
• Shot Sage Blue Marilyn sold for $195 million in 2022

Publications

• Books: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, The Andy Warhol Diaries

Final Thoughts

• Warhol is remembered as a cultural icon who blurred the lines between art and commerce, and his work continues to be celebrated worldwide.