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Summary
Summary
"IN THE FUTURE EVERYBODY will be world famous for 15 minutes."
The Campbell's Soup Cans. The Marilyns. The Electric Chairs. The Flowers. The work created by Andy Warhol elevated everyday images to art, ensuring Warhol a fame that has far outlasted the 15 minutes he predicted for everyone else. His very name is synonymous with the 1960s American art movement known as Pop.
But Warhol's oeuvre was the sum of many parts. He not only produced iconic art that blended high and popular culture; he also made controversial films, starring his entourage of the beautiful and outrageous; he launched Interview , a slick magazine that continues to sell today; and he reveled in leading the vanguard of New York's hipster lifestyle. The Factory, Warhol's studio and den of social happenings, was the place to be.
Who would have predicted that this eccentric boy, the Pittsburgh-bred son of Eastern European immigrants, would catapult himself into media superstardom? Warhol's rise, from poverty to wealth, from obscurity to status as a Pop icon, is an absorbing tale--one in which the American dream of fame and fortune is played out in all of its success and its excess. No artist of the late 20th century took the pulse of his time--and ours--better than Andy Warhol.
Praise for Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist :
"This outstanding, well-researched biography is fascinating reading."-- School Library Journal , Starred
"Readers will see not just the man but also the paintings anew."-- The Bulletin , Starred
"An exceptional biography that reveals the humanity behind the myth."-- Booklist , Starred
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
Author Notes
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan are the authors of numerous acclaimed books about art, including Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist ; Action Jackson ; Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois ; and Chuck Close Up Close . The authors live in St. Louis, MO, and New York City respectively.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Biographers Greenberg and Jordan (who teamed up for Chuck Close Up Close and Action Jackson) give a personable account of "the wiggy artist from Pittsburgh." In this generous book, which makes the artist's eccentricities seem more delightful than misanthropic, Warhol comes off as a social misfit to whom people gravitate. "[T]he secret of Andy's success was his own self-effacement," says his assistant, Gerard Malanga. Warhol's na?vet?-initially genuine, then calculated-impresses others during his indulged childhood, at art school and in his early design career. His offbeat manner captivates impresarios and opportunistic "Superstars" who flock to his work space, the Factory. Greenberg and Jordan don't tiptoe around his homosexuality, naming his lovers and also a crush on Truman Capote, who called him a "born loser." They depict his notorious Pop choices as serendipity; he seems to stumble into fortune and fame. When a boyfriend suggests that Andy buy a hairpiece, he starts wearing wigs. Stuck for ideas, he asks for advice, and a consultant changes history by saying, "You like money. You should paint that." Recollections from associates balance nicely with art reviews and descriptions of his painting, printmaking and filmmaking, although the photos and art reproductions, clustered at the end of the book, could be better placed to illustrate the text. Warhol cultivates a shallow persona and superficial art (with its "flat, thick lines, gaudy color, a machine-induced image"), but this enthusiastic bio revels in his kooky mysteriousness and renders him a role model for determined nonconformists. It makes a vibrant companion to James Warhola's picture-book memoir, Uncle Andy's. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Middle School, High School) Warhol is perhaps the most enigmatic artistic figure of the twentieth century. In interviews he refused to explain his art -- or worse, he maddeningly agreed with whatever the interviewer said. He attracted a large posse of fascinating, troubled young people and watched as many of them self-destructed. Was he the pied piper, leading them to their doom, or the consummate artist, stepping back to observe his era, take its measure, and depict it as honestly as possible? Once again, Greenberg and Jordan tackle a difficult subject and distill it into an unflinching yet ultimately sympathetic portrait. They present Andy's childhood as the key to the mystery, delving into his working-class immigrant roots, childhood illness, protective mother and older brothers, and Sundays spent in an Orthodox church adorned with row upon row of icons like so many Marilyns or Jackies. Greenberg and Jordan present Warhol's entire life without shying away from the drugs and free love so important to the era he documented. The result is a book that both challenges and appeals, providing respectful glimpses of the man behind the mask rather than violently snatching the wig from his head. The small signature of photos and reproductions is disappointing, but the fifty pages of back matter include detailed notes, a chronology, glossary, and a selective list of Warhol's films and books. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 8-up. As in the authors' previous titles about iconoclastic artists, such as Runaway Girl 0 (2003), about sculptor Louise Bourgeois, Greenberg and Jordan offer a riveting biography that humanizes their controversial subject without making judgments or sensationalizing. Chronological chapters follow Warhol from his Pittsburgh youth through his infamous decades in New York City, ending with a chapter that examines his profound influence on American art and culture. With honesty and tact, the authors frankly discuss Warhol's insecurities (his struggles with "fiery acne," his wavering self-image); his sometimes astonishing detachment; and the infamous Factory studio, with its wild, experimental sex-and-drugs culture. Their lucid insight into the art is also exceptional. In clear, evocative language they describe how Warhol made his art, the cultural context in which he worked, his originality, and the controversies he raised. With the exception of a few missing references, the source notes are exemplary, adding dimension to the story. A chronology, glossary of art terms, and numerous quotes from family, friends, critics, and Warhol himself bolster this highly readable, balanced, and fascinating survey of an American icon. An insert of color reproductions of the artist's work was not available in galley. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Warhol's career spanned advertising, painting, filmmaking, and magazine publishing. This competent, well-documented biography covers his childhood and art school years in Pittsburgh, his successful career in commercial art, and his rise in the Pop Art movement. Chapters also cover his dependence on his mother; his pursuit of celebrity; the lively social, drug, and art scene at his studio (christened the "Factory"); a near-fatal shooting; and his death at age 59. The authors provide a good balance of personal and art history, showing how Warhol's signature silkscreen soup cans and portraits were rooted in his commercial beginnings and 1960s commentary on consumerism. Throughout, they provide insight into specific works of art and their relationship to one another. Their liberal use of quotes by Warhol and his contemporaries paints a picture of a man who was often flip or evasive, who wore a very public persona but was extremely guarded about his personal life. The excellent glossary will aid students new to art terms. From the cover design to the quality of the paper and well-selected reproductions and photos, this is attractive bookmaking. While this eccentric, enigmatic subject is not likely to engender affection among readers, they will finish the book with an understanding of his legacy to the art world.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A riveting biography of one of the late-20th-century's most fascinating and inscrutable figures. Greenberg and Jordan have set themselves a difficult task, writing the life of an individual who did his best to interpose a faÇade between himself and the world at all times, but they pull it off, in part by letting their subject's metamorphosis govern their text. They begin at the beginning, with Warhol's childhood infatuation with Shirley Temple and follow their subject to art school and beyond, when he began experimenting with both art and life to the point where they became one and the same. Warhol's determination to create himself and his world marks one of the central themes, as it must; his alienation from the world he effectively escapes is its mirror. Liberally incorporating quotations from interviews and reminiscences, the narrative moves back and forth from explication of Warhol's art and methods to an almost awed (and frequently very funny) chronicling of the ever-increasing weirdness of Warhol's life and work. By the end, the man and the myth have become one--Warhol would've liked that. (full-color insert of selected art, chronology, glossary, filmography, bibliography, notes, sources) (Biography. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.