Andy Warhol

Date of Birth: August 6, 1928

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Date of Death: February 22, 1987

Biography

Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola Jr., was an American artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, culture, and advertisement, and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Slovakian immigrant parents. He showed an early talent for art and went on to study commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University. In the 1950s, Warhol achieved success as a commercial illustrator, and by the 1960s, he had become a renowned and sometimes controversial artist. His iconic works include the Campbell’s Soup Cans, Marilyn Diptych, and portraits of celebrities such as Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor. Warhol’s New York studio, The Factory, became a famous gathering place for intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons.

5 Interesting Facts about Andy Warhol

1. Andy Warhol coined the widely recognized expression “15 minutes of fame.”

2. He was a devout Catholic and attended church regularly.

3. Warhol was shot and seriously wounded by radical feminist Valerie Solanas in 1968; he survived but was left with lingering health issues.

4. His time capsule project, which consists of 610 cardboard boxes, filing cabinets, and a steamer trunk filled with objects from his daily life, offers a unique glimpse into his personal and professional life.

5. Warhol was also a pioneer in computer-generated art, creating digital works on an Amiga computer in the 1980s.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Andy Warhol

1. “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

2. “Art is what you can get away with.”

3. “Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.”

4. “Everyone must have a fantasy.”

5. “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the time of his death in 1987, Andy Warhol’s estate was valued at approximately $220 million, which would be significantly higher when adjusted for inflation today.