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Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an American painter, filmmaker, and publisher. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the pop art movement.

He uses mass production, a type of art in which mass-produced objects are often used. He reproduced his paintings with poster technique. This radicalism is actually a reaction and is in harmony with the social events of the age.

He is the child of a Czechoslovak immigrant family. After studying art history, he went to New York and worked as an illustrator for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines.

After losing his father at the age of fourteen, Andy Warhol fears death. This theme is often seen in his works. Since 1954, he produces works that show cars that have crashed. In the background of his later portrait of James Dean, a sports car crashed into a brick wall is chosen, reminiscent of the actor's tragic death.

The famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe is also related to the theme of death. In July 1962, after the opening of his exhibition at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, he learns that Marilyn Monroe has died. He produces 50 paintings, using a photograph from the set of the 1953 movie Niaga as a background. Thus, the smile of the deceased actress repeats forever. The great reputation of these images played an important role in the star artist's increasing fame after his death.

He became known for taking brands such as Campbell's soup and Coca-Cola in the 1960s and reproducing their images using a silk print technique. In his studio Factory, he created a style by making and repeating portraits of movie stars and famous people like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. Warhol's works reflected the American culture of the time, the cult of celebrity and media-saturation, consumer society. He also made feature-length art films and published books. He encouraged young painters and musicians.

Andy Warhol discovered Nico and The Velvet Underground. The artist's pop-art shows itself in all the events of The Velvet Underground.

Warhol won the Independent Film Award for his short films. He also shot two experimental feature films, "Empire" and "Sleep". 'Empire', one of these films, lasted 8 hours and was produced by operating a camera placed in front of the Empire State Building at a fixed point for 8 hours. The concept of 'Sleep' was a similar work. It was monitoring the 6 hours sleep of a sleeping person. “I would rather watch someone buy underwear than read a book written by someone,” Warhol said in an interview.

Warhol's film "Chelsea Girl", made in 1966, went down in history as the first underground film to be shown in commercial theaters. In '67 Warhol began speaking at universities. His speeches were so successful that some universities began to hire theatergoers like Warhol to speak on his behalf. On June 3, 1968, Warhol was assassinated by Valerie Solanas, a member of a radical feminist group. Warhol, who was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, was thought to have died because of three wounds in his chest, and was brought back to life with CPR. But after two months he was able to stand up. Solanas was first sent to a mental hospital and then to prison to serve a 3-year sentence. A movie called I Shot Andy Warhol was made about this event.

The cause of death of Pop-art icon Andy Warhol, who lived an active life and is said to have died at the age of 58 in a routine gallbladder surgery, remains suspicious. Medical historian Doctor John Ryan, who investigated the cause of Warhol's death, argues that Warhol had serious health problems before his surgery. According to the report of Blake Gopnik, who did biographical research on Warhol's life, the artist, who did not like food, faced many problems because of using drugs for years.

Who is Andy Warhol?

Little Known Facts About His Life

1. He Came from a Central European Poor Immigrant Family

Andrew Warhola, the son of the couple Andrej and Julia Warhola, who left their village in Slovakia and settled in America, was born in 1928. The family, along with Warhol's two older brothers, lived in a small house in the workers' neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Father Andrej, who worked in construction and mines, died of tuberculosis when Warhol was 13 years old.

2. He Was a Devoted Christian Who Attended Sunday Mass

Andy Warhol, who was raised as an Orthodox in his childhood, continued this belief in his adulthood. He went to church in Manhattan almost every day, attended Sunday mass and prayed. Warhol, who also wore a cross, also carried a rosary and regularly helped the church to distribute soup. Warhol, who used religious motifs in his art, such as the Last Supper series, was buried in a Catholic cemetery in Pennsylvania after his death.

3. Managed Velvet Underground

Andy Warhol; To bring together his interest in art, music and cinema, he organized a series of events in 1966 and 1967 under the name Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Discovering the Velvet Underground there, Warhol encouraged the band to perform with German singer Nico. Later, he became the manager of the group and took part as a producer on the album The Velvet Underground & Nico, which he used as the album cover. The banana he used on the same album cover later became iconic for American art.

4. His nickname was Drella

His friends and associates nicknamed him Drella, a combination of the names Dracula and Cinderella. It was difficult to grasp the true thoughts of Warhol, who was arrogant and insincere, especially in interviews. Drella's nickname is his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. In his Hyde setting, he reflected his passive-aggressive personality.

5. He Used Urine to Oxidize His Paintings

Andy Warhol began creating an abstract painting exhibition called The Oxidations in 1977. By mixing the copper paint he used with urine, causing it to oxidize, Warhol achieved extraordinary color and text. He encouraged his friends to piss on the canvas. People's differing eating patterns also affected the urine they produced, and the dye's oxidation process produced various shades of green, brown, and yellow. One of his paintings in the exhibition sold for almost $2 million in 2008.

6. Nominated at the Grammys

A freelance commercial artist of the 1950s and 60s, Andy Warhol worked for companies like Harper's Bazaar, RCA Records, and Columbia Records at the time. In addition to the cover of the Velvet Undergound album, he also did album artwork for the Rolling Stones, John Cale, and Aretha Franklin. His 1971 design for the Rolling Stones' album Sticky Fingers was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover.

7. He Wears A Wig To Cover His Baldness

Andy Warhol, who started to go bald in his 20s, started wearing a wig to cover his hair. His silver wig collection contributed to his bohemian vibe and avant-garde mysticism. Warhol revealed his wig by including self-portraits in the famous Fright Wig exhibition in 1986. A purple-themed portrait of Warhol sold for $32 million in 2010.

8. Andy Warhol Was A Mother's Lamb

Until her death in 1972, Julia Warhola was her son's closest companion. For almost 20 years, mother and son lived and worked together in New York. Andy Warhol's Mrs. His mother, Julia, who played in the movie Warhol, was her son's calligrapher and wrote for his projects. Paintings of Warhol's mother are on display at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

9. Truman Capote Called Him a Loser

While Andy Warhol admired the work and lifestyle of writer Truman Capote, Capote did not feel the same way. After a meeting with Capote before his fame became known, the author did not think very well about Warhol.

“… like hopeless cases where you know you can't do anything. The most hopeless, loneliest person I've ever seen in my life. He's a born loser and has no friends."

Although his description is rather brutal, Capote later warms to Warhol and the two begin working together in Interview magazine.

10. He Wrote An Absurd Cookbook

In 1959, Andy Warhol co-wrote a cookbook called Wild Raspberries with his decorator friend Suzie Frankfurt. The duo prepared absurd recipes for the book, such as Greta Garbo Omelette and Andalusian Iguana. Although it contained 19 illustrations by Warhol, the book was not a commercial success.