Andy Warhol

Born on August 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola, became an iconic figure in Pop Art. After studying at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, he began his career in advertising, gaining recognition as an illustrator for prestigious magazines. Warhol revolutionized 1960s art by exploring the image of consumer society, notably through screenprints of mass-produced products like Campbell’s soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles. His celebrity portraits, including Marilyn Monroe, became iconic. In 1963, he founded “The Factory,” his New York workshop, where he hired assistants to mass-produce his artwork, while also creating experimental films. Warhol became a central figure in New York’s underground scene, producing the band The Velvet Underground. In 1967, he survived an assassination attempt. During the 1970s, he continued to create notable works, including portraits of figures like Mao and Mick Jagger. Warhol passed away in 1987, but his legacy endures as he represents the impact of Pop Art on contemporary art and popular culture. Warhol famously said, “If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings.”