Andy Warhol Lives

Artist and world renowed social icon Andy Warhol was known for socializing with an incredible range of individuals from dignitaries to street criminals. Many historians credit his diverse mix of acquaintances with being able to create such a wide range and fresh assortment of artwork.

Andy Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Andrej Warhola and Julia Warhola. His family name was shortened upon immigrating from Mikova. His crowning achievement was the creation of the genre now commonly known as pop art. However, Mr. Warhol's achievements did not just include items that gave the pop movement wings. The artisan was also known for producing records, writing books, ilustrating commercially (including such well known boxes and logos as Brillo), creating films, and creating an eye opening array of paintings.

The work of Andy Warhol was appreciated greatly in the latter years of his life, but reached a dramatic pinnacle many years after Andy Warhol's passing. The Andy Warhol Foundation allowed many home interior companies to use his artwork as inspiration for accessories. The Andy Warhol Home Collection of area rugs is one such example. This range of vivid and avant garde patterns cover a wide gamut of genres from soft tonal patterns to more boldly colored offerings in his Pop Abstracts series. The mix of patterns is approved by the Andy Warhol Foundation with the added benefit that a portion of the proceeds are used to fund art related education programs. Beyond area rugs, the Andy Warhol Foundation also allowed for other accessory groups to be created including lamps, curtains, drapes and a dazzling assortment of kitchen ware.

After graduating from the School of Fine Arts at Carnegie Institute of Technology of Pittsburgh, Andy Warhol moved to New York City to start a career as a magazine illustrator and advertisement creator. It was in this phase of his storied career that his light hearted drawings including randomly placed, funky shoe patterns were created. From this point in Mr. Warhol's career, his work evolved quickly into items that became fixtures within American homes. The famous Campbell's Soup cans, Marilyn Monroe color graphics, and the boldly colored rendering of Elizabeth Taylor are a few of his dramatic creations from the 1960's. While these items have lent in immeasurable ways to the range of art that the world population celebrates, it does not make for good area rug patterning. With this in mind and at the request of the Andy Warhol Foundation, the series of artwork including the Campbell's Soup can were omitted from the Andy Warhol selection of area rugs.

In later years, Andy Warhol's work morphed into what Mr. Warhol personally described as "mass-produced", that is to say that Andy Warhol wanted the work he created to be reproduced on a grand scale never before seen. He painted brand name products, dollar bills, cats, celebrities, even images from newspaper clippings.

Mr. Warhol's liberal stance with respect to his creations did not stop at the use of bold colors and patterns. At one point in the late 60's his work even included a photograph of police dogs attacking civil rights protestors. His personal lifestyle included being publicly homosexual. The decision for him was one of principle. Mr. Warhol worked among other gay artists that refused to publicly acknowledge their sexuality due to the fear of financial repercussions.

The incredible life of Andy Warhol took an alarming turn on June 3, 1968 when Valerie Solanas shot both Andy Warhol and his associate Mario Amaya while they were working in his "Factory Studio". The common belief is that Ms. Solanas was angry that a manuscript she has given to Mr. Warhol for his review was misplaced. The injuries that Andy Warhol sustained were so severe that at one point his heart was literally in the hands of Doctors who were massaging it to keep him alive. His injuries stayed with him for the balance of his life and dramatically limited his ability to be as mobile as he was in years past.

As the 1960's came to a close, so too did the foot loose and fancy free life that Andy Warhol once led. May people attribute his change in behavior to difficulties related to his incursion with Valerie Solanas. The Factory that he had used to create many of his most recognized works was locked down with a resulting damper on creativity that may have ushered in some of his more calm works throughout the 1970s.

The major work Mr. Warhol is known for from the 1970s is the portrait of Mao Zedong from 1973. Beyond this, Andy Warhol was often seen living it up at the hot New York night club "Studio 54". He was usually spotted lounging at a high profile table taking in all of the raucous fun.

After living a financially successful first 7 years of the 1980's, Andy Warhol passed away due to complications from a gall bladder surgery. Andy Warhol's incredible range of artwork lives on, not only in the world's finest museums but also in many homes across the United States, thanks in great part to the Andy Warhol Foundation, and their willingness to create truly awesome area rug patterns based on his finest artistic creations.