Biography
Arguably the most famous artist of the late-20th century, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) exploded into the art scene in the early 1960s by appropriating everyday objects like Campbell's Soup and Brillo boxes and celebrities like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe and turning them into works of fine art.
However, before spearheading the Pop Art movement, in the 1950s Andy Warhol achieved success on Madison Avenue as one of New York’s most popular advertising artists. A skilled and inventive illustrator, Warhol won several Art Director’s Club awards for his work on LP cover designs, I. Miller shoe drawings, and additional advertising work. Warhol also illustrated several books, most notably 25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy, Love Is A Pink Cake, and Wild Raspberries.
Once his Pop art career exploded in 1962, Warhol focused on silkscreen painting and filmmaking. However, unbeknownst to many, he returned to drawing with pencil on paper in the early 1970s and continued until his death in 1987. During this time, Warhol created illustrations of subjects found in his paintings, including Mao, Marilyn, John Wayne, and the Rolling Stones.
Photograph: David McCabe, Andy in Front of a Chevy Billboard, Spring 1965
Purchase the Autographed Copy: Inventing America: Rockwell and Warhol Exhibit Catalog here...
Illustrations by Andy Warhol
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Bourdon, David. Warhol. New York: Harry Abrams, 1989.
De Salvo, Donna. Success is a Job in New York... The Early Art and Business of Andy Warhol. New York: Grey Art Gallery and Study Center, 1989.
Kowalski, Jesse and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. Inventing America: Rockwell and Warhol. Stockbridge, MA: Norman Rockwell Museum, 2016.
Warhol, Andy. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975.
Warhol, Andy and Pat Hackett. The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York: Warner Books, 1989.
Warhol, Andy and Pat Hackett. POPism: The Warhol '60s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980.
Wrbican, Matt and Geralyn Huxley. Andy Warhol Treasures: The Illustrated Story of Andy Warhol's Life and Work. London, England, Goodman, 2009.
