Andy Warhol

 


Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was an American artist and leading figure in the Pop Art movement, who became something of a celebrity himself with his unique personality and style. Pop Art (Popular Art) was meant for everyone to enjoy and Warhol experimented with photography, film and sculpture as well as paintings and illustrations. Learn about this iconic figure, who died young, and use our printable resources below to discover more.

Andy Warhol

Fun Facts

  • Warhol’s paintings have become very valuable. One of his Marilyn Monroe prints sold for US$80 million, while ‘Eight Elvises’ sold for US$100 million in 2008, and ‘Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)’ for US$105 million in 2013.
  • Today, you can see Warhol’s iconic artwork – Campbell's Soup Cans – at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This installation features 32 separate canvases depicting different Campbell soup varieties.
  • One of Andy Warhol’s films – Sleep – showed a man sleeping for six hours!
  • Warhol had a unique personal style. He liked to wear a lot of black clothes, which contrasted with his shock of white hair, and was usually seen wearing glasses or sunglasses.

Andy Warhol Quotes

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

“Art is what you can get away with.”

“The idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will.”

A Short Biography of Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1928. His parents Andrej and Julia were Slovakian immigrants. His father was a construction worker, while his mother was an embroiderer.

Andy had two older brothers, John and Paul. When he was eight, Andy caught a rare disease of the nervous system and spent many months in bed. His mother, who was a skilled artist, taught him to draw while he was recuperating. Andy was a quiet, shy child, but drawing soon became his favourite hobby and when his mother gave him a camera at the age of nine, he took up photography, too.

When Andy was 14, his father died from a liver disease. He requested in his will that his life’s savings go towards Andy’s college education. On graduating from high school, Andy became the first in his family to go to university, studying art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He graduated in 1949, and moved to New York City to work in magazine illustration and advertising. Andy worked for many famous magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker. He became a very successful illustrator and won many awards for his artistic style. It was around this time that Andy dropped the ‘a’ from his surname to become Andy Warhol.

Before long, Andy wanted to branch out and do something different. He was also keen to become rich and famous! In the early 1960s, he focused on his painting and began to mass-produce prints of everyday objects, such as soup cans, Coca-cola bottles and even hamburgers! By projecting these images onto a canvas, he could trace over them to reproduce them accurately. He also used a silkscreen process to repeat his images in vibrant colours and different effects. By mass-producing his prints, he made them more affordable to ordinary people.

Warhol began to reproduce portraits of celebrities, too. Some of the most famous include the actress Marilyn Monroe and the Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Before long, he was receiving commissions from other celebrities and wealthy people wanting a portrait of their own!

In 1963, Andy began to experiment with film. He also branched into music when he briefly managed the rock band The Velvet Underground, and founded a magazine – Interview – that focused on celebrities. In 1964, he opened his own art studio, known as ‘The Factory’. This was his place of work but also became a meeting place for artists, actors and musicians and Andy would hold elaborate parties there with other wealthy and famous people.

Andy nearly lost his life in 1968 when Valerie Solanas shot him three times in the chest. Solanas was an aspiring writer who was apparently upset because Warhol didn’t use one of her scripts in his films. Andy was lucky to survive and had to undergo multiple surgeries and wear a medical corset for the rest of his life.

As an internationally famous artist, Andy’s work was exhibited around the world. He also published books, alongside his paintings, film, sculpture and photography. In 1980, he co-founded the New York Academy of Art, a graduate school of art, and upon his wishes, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established on his death.

In February 1987, Warhol suffered complications from a gall bladder operation and died unexpectedly. He was just 58. He was buried next to his parents in Pittsburgh, and more than 2,000 people attended his memorial service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. The art world had lost a great talent, but a long-lasting legacy of iconic art had been left behind for generations to enjoy.

Our Andy Warhol Resources

Andy Warhol Colouring Page

Andy Warhol Colouring Page

Here's a fun Andy Warhol colouring page for younger children - with one of his most famous portraits in the background!

Andy Warhol Factsheet

Andy Warhol Factsheet

Did you know that artist Andy Warhol also once managed a rock band? Learn some facts about him by reading our factsheet.

Andy Warhol Interview Worksheet

Andy Warhol Interview Worksheet

This interesting worksheet asks children to put themselves in the position of an interviewer putting questions to Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol Newspaper Writing Prompt

Andy Warhol Newspaper Writing Prompt

Andy Warhol enjoyed making headlines so much so that he filled a scrapbook with news stories generated from his art and life! Use our newspaper writing prompt to write your own story and headline about the famous pop artist.

Andy Warhol Notebooking Page

Andy Warhol Notebooking Page

There's space to draw your own Andy Warhol-style masterpiece on the second of these notebooking pages, or you can use page 1 just to write notes.

Andy Warhol Poster

Andy Warhol Poster

Print this simple illustrated poster of famous Pop Art artist Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol Quote Poster

Andy Warhol Quote Poster

This famous Andy Warhol quote is set against one of his famous portraits featuring Marilyn Monroe on this striking poster.

Andy Warhol Quote Worksheet

Andy Warhol Quote Worksheet

"The idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will." This is a famous quote by Andy Warhol, and the objective of the worksheet is for the kids to explain what it means, and rewrite it in their own words too...

Andy Warhol Story Paper

Andy Warhol Story Paper

The children could use our Andy Warhol story paper to write a creative story using one of his famous paintings for inspiration, or write a review of his art.

Andy Warhol Story Paper 2

Andy Warhol Story Paper 2

Use our Andy Warhol story paper to write a review or description of one of his paintings, or to record everything you've learned about him.

Andy Warhol Timeline Worksheet

Andy Warhol Timeline Worksheet

Andy Warhol lived quite an eventful and colourful life! Can the children pinpoint the most important events in his life and add them on to the timeline?

Andy Warhol Word Search

Andy Warhol Word Search

There's certainly an interesting selection of words hidden in this Andy Warhol word search, including Campbells Soup!  Can the kids find them all? Solution available below...

Andy Warhol Worksheet

Andy Warhol Worksheet

Andy Warhol's colourful pop art style often appeals to children, and this simple worksheet is the perfect way to introduce the artist and his work.

Andy Warhol Writing Page

Andy Warhol Writing Page

This useful writing page - in colour or black and white - could be used for keeping notes, copywork or perhaps writing about the artist Andy Warhol.

Fame Pros And Cons Worksheet

Fame Pros And Cons Worksheet

This worksheet asks the kids to weigh up the pros and cons of being famous, inspired by Andy Warhol's prediction that everyone in the future will be famous for 15 minutes.

Famous For 15 Minutes Newspaper Writing Prompt

Famous For 15 Minutes Newspaper Writing Prompt

"In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." This fun worksheet asks the kids to imagine they are famous for 15 minutes, just like Andy Warhol suggests in his famous quote, and to write all about the experience as a newspaper report.

Learn To Draw Andy Warhol

Learn To Draw Andy Warhol

Learn to draw Andy Warhol, complete with camera and one of his famous portrait pictures, using our simple instructions broken down into easy steps...

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