Andrew Warhola (born the August 6th 1928 with Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania - New York February 22nd 1987), more known under the name of Andy Warhol was an American artist who became a central figure in the movement of the Pop Art, because it was one of the pioneers. After a career of success as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became known in the whole world thanks to its work of painter, musical producer, of author, thanks to his films of before guard, as an author and also thanks to his presence in various social environments, as well of the eminent intellectuals, the celebrities of Hollywood, as rich person aristocrats. The work of Warhol underwent many controversies, even if Warhol were the subject of innumerable retrospective exposures, books, and films since its death in 1987. He is generally recognized like one of the most influential artists of the XXe century.

Biography

It is in 1928 that Andrew Warhola is born with Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). In 1933 it begins its schooling in Elementary School. In 1942 his/her father dies after 3 years of disease. 1945 Fine of the schooling of Andrew, with handing-over of the diploma of High School.

Between 1945 and 1949, it makes its studies with the Carnegie Institute off Technology where it obtains the title of Bachelor off Fine Arts. It is during these studies that it adopts the technique of the plugged drawing. The end of its studies and its removal with New York is done in 1949. This same year, it starts to work as advertizing draftsman for Vogue and Harper' S Bazaar and creates its first sketches for the manufacturer of shoe I. Miller; it also decorates with the windows for the department store Bronwit Teller. It transforms its name Andrew Warhola into Andy Warhol.

It is in 1952 that its first exposure to Hugo Gallery (New York) takes place. Between 1953 and 1955 Andy becomes creator of costumes in a theater company. It affuble then of a wig is platinized which characterizes it. It did not cease carrying out this double life: “ I started as commercial artist and I want to finish as artist of businesses ” says it. In 1954 its first exposure to Loft Gallery of New York takes place. In 1955 it carries out good number of publicities and will go even until manufacturing Christmas cards for various stores, like Tiffany' S. Some of these Christmas cards are available in the book Greetings from Andy (Warhol) Christmas At Tiffany' S . In 1956 an exclusive exposure takes place in Bodley Gallery, moreover it also exposes in Madison Avenue. During this same year, it makes a round the world tour. Its publicity for Miller obtains the medal of “Thirty Fifth Annual Art Director' S Club Award' S”. In 1957 it obtains another price for its publicities: “art Director' S Club medal”. It founds during this same year a company managing the advertizing orders.

In 1960, it carries out its first tables inspired of the Comics, at the same period as Roy Lichtenstein. It is in 1962 that Warhol takes part with Roy Lichtenstein and of the French artists (Klein, Niki de Saint Phalle…) with a major exposure of the Pop Art and New realism of the name of The New Realists with New York. It paints its first soup boxes Campbell' S and Dollars , and composes also its first Sérigraphie S on the stars American. Irving Blum, director of a gallery of Los Angeles, exposes the 36 boxes of soups and buys them all. First exclusive exposure to Stable Eleanor Wards Gallery with New York.

The artist begins his series on death and the catastrophes. Warhol opens in 1963 the Factory in an unused factory. It is a kind of workshop artistic which is used at the same time as studio of recording for its cinematographic works. It is in this place that often the group rock'n'roll The Velvet Underground occurs of which he is the producer. They is as with the Factory as it made several experimental films, without subject nor scenario, largely impromptu. With the manner of its fabrics, these sequences actually only one are not repeated several hundreds of times, for example, in this sequence of the name of Sleep or one sees the same man sleeping during 20 minutes and this extract is repeated 18 times to form a 6 hour old film. In 1964 takes place the first exclusive exposure in Europe. For the World Fair of New York, Warhol creates the wall panel Thirteen Most Wanted Men, work which will have to be covered with painting because at the time, this work representing of the criminals shocked. It begins its serigraphies in 3D while reproducing limp of Ketchup Heinz or of the detergent Brillo.

And it is in 1965 that he announces officially that he gives up pictorial art for cinematographic works. It never stopped. It is between 1966 and 1968 that an immense film production combined with the support for Velvet Underground, make of him an artist touch-with-all. Factory changes walls. The June 3rd 1968, Valerie Solanas car three blows of gun on Warhol at the entry of Factory. The first two blows missed its target, but the third ball transpierced the Poumon, the Rate, the Estomac, the Foie and the esophagus. Solanas shot then at the art critic and companion from Warhol, Mario Amaya and also tried to kill the business manager of Warhol, Fred Hughes, but its weapon was stopped. Bathing at the same time in the underground medium and VIP of the time, it published in 1969 the first specimens of its review Interview with articles illustrated on the celebrities of the moment. During the years 1969 and 1972, Warhol carries out some works on orders for friends, or directors of galleries.

In 1972, it makes a return to painting with screen printed portraits, like those of Mao Zedong improved, tables in a very gestural way while carrying out works of art abstract and by using painting with oxidation. Warhol is then innondé of orders. The series on Skulls , and Still Life (hammers and sickles) are produced in 1976. Between 1979 and 1980, Warhol begins the great retrospective series, series taking again the most known reasons for its work ( Campbell' S Soup , U.S. dollar Sign , flowers ,…). In the year 1980: Produced Warhol of the clips vidéos and opens the cabled television channel Andy Warhol TV . It also makes appear the book POPsim, The Warhol' S 60s .

It is between 1982 and 1986: Last series beginning again of very famous works, like Birth of Venus of Boticelli, or the Cène of Vinci. In 1986: The last Selfportrait , and series of portraits of Lénine. Andy Warhol dies with New York the February 22nd 1987.

Prolongation:

In 2002, the American novelist John Updike publishes Seek my face (in French You will seek my face , 2002) who are, for a share, a transposition of the life of Andy Warhol told by its wife, works completely fictitious, because Warhol was homosexual.

Its work

In its advertisement drawings, Andy Warhol used a direct technique: it drew its creations on damp-proof paper, passed by again contours of ink, passed by again still wet contours on sheets of paper absorbing, on the principle of the blotter.

In 1963, it adopts the technique which it uses for its most famous works: the Photographie screen printed is deferred on fabric. The photographs used are in black and white, it colors the bottom of the fabric, and then, prints the subject, the face of Marilyn Monroe for example, with only some details, to make it more neutral, to reproduce them by Sérigraphie. Often, it is a reason which will be reproduced several times on the fabric. It is the stereotype of the Pop art.

Its favorite figures are the familiar one, the famous neutral or figures. The tone is at the same time popular and iconoclast, taking as a starting point the popular culture. Initially interested by the Comic S it quickly leaves this reason to the painter Roy Lichtenstein who will make his visual tool of it. The fundamental topics at Warhol are the image, its capacity within the consumer society and its bond with death. At Warhol the repetition of the figure often refers to its extenuation. The choice of the subjects is in connection with this obsession of death, including for its famous fabrics of Marilyn Monroe (painted after its suicide) or of Liz Taylor (painted whereas the actress was seriously sick). In the last years of its work, Warhol becomes practically a painter of court, applying his style to many portraits of order, while continuing to dig its reflection to painting with its series Shadows , Oxidation paintings , and of the resumptions of fabrics of Botticelli or Léonard de Vinci.

Its plastic works (nonexhaustive list)

Because Crash landing 1964, serigraphy on fabric, Galleria Civica of arte moderna, Turin
  • Marilyn 1962
  • Jackie 1964, Triptychon, Ludwig Museum, Cologne
  • Thirteen Most Wanted Men 1964
  • Flowers 1966, 2005, for 6,090 million euros (Four parts of 90x90 cm screen printed cash among the collection of works of art contemporary of the General society)

  • 10 Marilyn 1967 See this work

  • Mao Tsé-Tung 1972, 1973

  • Mick Jagger 1975, Neue Gallery - Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen
  • U.S. Dollar Sign 1982
  • Joseph Beuys 1986, Gallery Bernd Klüser, Munich
  • Sixty Cènes 1986
  • Camouflage II 1987, Lenox Museum Board

Catalog of films

Like realizer

As producer

As director of the photography

As actor

As scenario writer

As assembler

Publications

  • 1969, re-examined Interview

  • 1971, the philosophy of Andy Warhol (of has to B, back again)
  • 1985, Americas : photographs of the contemporary life in the USA.

Notes and references of the article

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