Andrew Warhola Jr. was born on August 6th 1928 in Pittsburgh. He was the 4th child of Ondrej and Julia. They were emigrants from Mikó, Slovakia. Warhol had Sydenham's chorea (also known as St. Vitus' Dance), the nervous system disease that causes involuntary movements. At times when he had to stay in bed he listened to the radio and collected pictures of movie stars. He also picked up photography as a hobby as well as drawing.
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| Dial M For Shoe 1955 |
He studied commercial art and after his study he moved to New York City in the 1940's and began a career in magazine illustration and advertising. In 1952 Alexander Iolas discovered Andy Warhol and he organized his first solo show at the Hugo Gallery in New York. In 1955 Warhol began designing advertisements for shoe manufacturer Israel Miller.
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| From "25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy" (1957) |
To promote himself he published books of his illustrations like "25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy (1957) together with his mother. Then RCA Records hired Warhol and Sid Maurer to design album covers and promotional materials.
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| So Sweet (1958) |
In 1963 Warhol formed The Druds. A short-lived avant-garde noise band that included well known figures from the New York minimal art and proto-conceptual art scenes including Larry Poons, La Monte Young, Walter De Maria, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenberg, and Lucas Samaras.
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Disaster series (1964)
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| Album cover for Velvet Underground & Nico |
He also became manager for another band named The Velvet Underground including Lou Reed and John Cale. The band was part of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia performances in 1966 and 1967. Andy funded the debut album "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (1967). Andy also designed the legendary album cover with the banana.
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| Andy at the Factory posing in front of his Flowers |
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| Flowers (1970) |
Warhol rented a studio loft on East 47th street in Midtown Manhattan which was later known as The Factory. On June 3 1968 radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas shot Warhol and Mario Amaya (art critic and curator) at Warhol's studio. They both survived the attack. Amaya was released from hospital the same day but Andy had to stay for 2 months. Solanas turned herself in to the police a few hours after the attack and said that Warhol "had too much control over my life". She was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia and had to spent 3 years in jail.
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| Campbell Tomato Soup (1968) |
In the 60's he would produce paintings of dollar bills, electric chairs, Campbell's soup cans and Coca cola bottles. He also painted people like Marilyn Monroe, Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor. He was a legend those days.
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| Mao (1972) |
Besides making movies he also produced a theater play called "Andy Warhol's Pork" in the 70's. In 1971 another legendary album cover was made by Andy for The Rolling Stones "Sticky Finger" with the trousers with zipper. In 1972 he supported George McGovern by creating a poster for his campaign to run for president. This is strange because Andy hated politics but it became subject of his art in the early 70's. That same year his mother died. He then moved to Europe and fell in love with Paris. Between 1972 and 1973 Warhol created a series of portraits of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong. Warhol designed the sets for the Broadway musical Man on the Moon by John Philips of the Mamas & the Papas. In 1977 Studio 54 opened in New York and became famous in nightlife. Warhol often socialized at Studio 54 and take note of the drug-fueled activities that his friends engaged in at parties.
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| 6,99 - with Jean Michel Basquiat (1984) |
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| Orange Prince (1984) |
In the 80's Andy was collaborating with other pop-art artists like Jean Michel Basquiat, Francesco Clemente, and Keith Haring. In 1984 Vanity Fair commissioned Warhol to produce a portrait of Prince to accompany an article that celebrated the success of Purple Rain and its accompanying movie. The result was "Orange Prince". During the 80's he also did paintings of Michael Jackson and his "Reigning Queens" what included queens of the UK (Elizabeth II), Netherlands (Beatrix), Denmark (Margrethe II) and Swaziland (Ntfombi Twala).
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| Reigning Queens (1985) |
Warhol died at age 58 following gallbladder surgery at New York Hospital in Manhattan on February 22th, 1987. At first it looked like he recovered from his gallbladder but died from a sudden post-operative irregular heartbeat. Finally it turned out the real cause was improper care and water intoxication. He was exposed to water infusion for too long.
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| Ingrid Bergman, The Nun 314 (1983) |
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| Andy's grave at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, Pittsburgh |
