ANDY WARHOL ARTIST of the WEEK

Background:  August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987  Was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA.  His parents were Czechoslovakian immigrants, who settled in the mining town of Pittsburgh.  He grew up drawing, collecting pictures of movie stars, and listening to music. – This largely influenced him later in his artistic life.  He studied art appreciation and commercial art at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh.

Style/Type of Work Created:  In 1949, he moved to New York City. He began working as a commercial artist on magazines, record covers, and advertisements.  In the 1960’s he became the leading figure in the art movement known as POP ART.  He became famous for his pictures based on mass-produced images such as Campbell’s soup cans and movie stars. (His art was making the point that celebrity or mass media had replaced true values. His work was expressing the public’s obsession with fame in a media- saturated culture.)  He used printmaking and painting techniques to create his work. Green Marilyn, 1962

Examples of Warhol’s Work: 10 Marilyns, 1967

100 Cans, 1962 Sixteen Jackies, 1964

Interesting Facts:  Was born Andrew Warhola.  He coined the expression “15 minutes of fame”.  The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is $100 million. (Eight Elvises, 1963)