Andy Warhol Timeline

(August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987)

Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was an American artist and leading figure of the Pop Art movement. Known for works like Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Diptych, he blurred the boundaries between commercial and fine art through silkscreen printing, celebrity imagery, and mass production techniques at his studio, The Factory. More Less

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Early Life and Education

Andy Warhol is born in Pittsburgh

Aug 6, 1928

Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Slovak immigrant parents. He grew up in a working-class family and showed an early interest in art and drawing.

Image source: Andy Warhol

Contracts rheumatic fever as a child

1936

As a child, Warhol suffered from Sydenham's chorea (St. Vitus' Dance), a complication of rheumatic fever, which kept him bedridden for long periods. During this time, he developed his fascination with celebrities and practiced drawing, listening to radio and collecting pictures of movie stars.

Graduates from Carnegie Institute of Technology

1949

Warhol graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) with a degree in pictorial design. His education there laid the foundation for his career in commercial art.

Image source: Carnegie Mellon University

Moves to New York City and begins career in commercial art

1949

After graduating, Warhol moved to New York City and quickly found success as a commercial illustrator, working for magazines like Glamour, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar. He became one of the most in-demand commercial artists of the 1950s.

Wins Art Directors Club award for illustration

1952

Warhol received recognition for his commercial work, including awards from the Art Directors Club. His distinctive blotted-line technique made his illustrations instantly recognizable and highly sought after.

Art Career

First solo exhibition of drawings at Hugo Gallery

1952

Warhol held his first solo exhibition at the Hugo Gallery in New York, showing drawings based on the writings of Truman Capote. The exhibition marked his transition from commercial to fine art.

Publishes '25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy'

1954

Warhol self-published this artist's book featuring whimsical illustrations of cats. It became one of several handmade books he produced in the 1950s that showcased his playful commercial style.

Image source: 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy

Publishes '25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy'

Creates the 'Marilyn Diptych'

1962

Following Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962, Warhol created the Marilyn Diptych, silkscreening her image fifty times. The work became one of the most iconic artworks of the twentieth century and exemplified his exploration of celebrity and mortality.

Image source: Marilyn Diptych

Exhibits 'Campbell's Soup Cans' at Ferus Gallery

Jul 9, 1962 - Aug 4, 1962

Warhol's first solo exhibition of Pop Art paintings, featuring 32 canvases of Campbell's Soup cans, opened at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. The show was a landmark event that helped launch the Pop Art movement in America.

Image source: Campbell's Soup Cans

First New York solo show at Stable Gallery

Nov 6, 1962

Warhol's first solo exhibition in New York at the Stable Gallery included the Campbell's Soup Cans and his Marilyn Diptych, cementing his reputation as a leading figure in Pop Art.

Begins making experimental films

1963

Warhol began producing experimental films such as 'Blow Job' and 'Eat', and later 'Empire' and 'Chelsea Girls'. His films pushed the boundaries of duration, narrative, and subject matter in cinema.

Image source: Andy Warhol filmography

Produces 'Empire', an eight-hour film of the Empire State Building

Jul 25, 1964

Warhol filmed the Empire State Building from dusk to dawn in a single static shot lasting over eight hours. The film became a landmark of structural film and minimalist cinema.

Image source: Empire (1965 film)

Creates the 'Mao' series

1972

Following President Nixon's visit to China, Warhol created a series of silkscreened portraits of Chairman Mao Zedong. The series continued his exploration of political iconography and mass media imagery.

Image source: Mao (Warhol)

Creates the 'Oxidation' and 'Shadow' paintings

1977 - 1979

In the late 1970s, Warhol produced abstract series including the Oxidation paintings, made with urine on copper pigment, and the large-scale Shadows series. These works showed a more abstract and experimental side of his practice.

Creates the 'Retrospective and Reversal' series

1978

Warhol revisited his earlier iconic images in the Retrospective and Reversal series, repainting works like the Mona Lisa and his own Flowers in negative and altered forms, reflecting on his own artistic legacy.

Creates the 'Endangered Species' and 'Myths' series

1983

Warhol produced the Endangered Species series, highlighting animals like the Siberian tiger and panda, and the Myths series, featuring characters such as Mickey Mouse and Superman. These portfolios blended social commentary with pop imagery.

Collaborates with Jean-Michel Basquiat

1984 - 1985

Warhol collaborated with young neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat on a series of joint paintings, combining Warhol's silkscreen techniques with Basquiat's energetic graffiti-inspired style. The collaboration bridged two generations of New York art.

Image source: Jean-Michel Basquiat

The Factory and Studio 54

Establishes The Factory studio in New York

1963

Warhol opened his famous studio, The Factory, on East 47th Street in Manhattan. The silver-painted space became a hub for artists, musicians, celebrities, and bohemians, and a site of prolific art production.

Image source: The Factory

Meets and begins collaborating with Edie Sedgwick

1965

Warhol met heiress and socialite Edie Sedgwick, who became his muse and a superstar of his films such as 'Poor Little Rich Girl' and 'Beauty #2'. Their collaboration defined the Factory scene of the mid-1960s.

Image source: Edie Sedgwick

Manages and promotes The Velvet Underground

1965 - 1967

Warhol became the manager of the rock band The Velvet Underground, featuring them in his multimedia project the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. He designed the iconic banana cover for their 1967 debut album.

Image source: The Velvet Underground

Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia tour

1966 - 1967

Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable combined live performances by The Velvet Underground with films, projections, and light shows. The traveling multimedia spectacle was a pioneering fusion of rock music and visual art.

Image source: Exploding Plastic Inevitable

Survives assassination attempt by Valerie Solanas

Jun 3, 1968

Radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas shot Warhol at The Factory, seriously wounding him. He underwent hours of emergency surgery and survived, but the attack profoundly changed his life and work.

Image source: Valerie Solanas

Founds Interview magazine

1969

Warhol co-founded Interview, a magazine dedicated to celebrity culture, fashion, and candid conversations. It became an influential publication chronicling the worlds of art, film, and nightlife.

Image source: Interview (magazine)

Becomes a regular at Studio 54

1977 - 1980

Warhol became a fixture at the famous New York nightclub Studio 54, documenting its celebrities, fashion, and decadent nightlife. His presence there embodied his role as a chronicler of celebrity culture.

Image source: Studio 54

Later Years and Legacy

Begins commission portraits of celebrities

1970 - 1987

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Warhol created commissioned portraits of celebrities and wealthy patrons, including Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross. These works made him a fixture of high society.

Publishes 'The Philosophy of Andy Warhol'

1975

Warhol published 'The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)', a book of reflections on art, celebrity, business, and life. It became a bestseller and offered insight into his worldview and aphorisms.

Image source: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

Publishes 'The Philosophy of Andy Warhol'

Publishes 'The Andy Warhol Diaries' era begins with Pat Hackett

1976 - 1987

Warhol began dictating a daily diary to his assistant Pat Hackett, chronicling his social life, business dealings, and observations. The diaries were published posthumously in 1989 and became a bestseller.

Image source: The Andy Warhol Diaries

Creates the 'Last Supper' series

1986 - 1987

In his final years, Warhol produced a major series based on Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, combining religious imagery with commercial logos. The series was exhibited in Milan in 1987, just before his death.

Undergoes gallbladder surgery and dies in New York

Feb 22, 1987

Warhol died at age 58 in New York City from cardiac arrhythmia following routine gallbladder surgery. His death marked the end of an era in American art and celebrity culture.

Memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral

Apr 1, 1987

A memorial mass for Warhol was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, drawing more than 2,000 mourners including artists, celebrities, and friends from every corner of his world. John Richardson delivered a eulogy celebrating his artistic legacy.

Andy Warhol Museum opens in Pittsburgh

May 13, 1994

The Andy Warhol Museum opened in his hometown of Pittsburgh, becoming the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. It houses thousands of his artworks, films, and archives, preserving his enduring legacy.

Image source: The Andy Warhol Museum

'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' sells for record $195 million

May 9, 2022

Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' sold at auction for $195 million, becoming the most expensive work of twentieth-century art ever sold at auction. The sale underscored Warhol's lasting dominance of the art market and his cultural significance.

Image source: Shot Marilyns

'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' sells for record $195 million

Key Facts

Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Slovak immigrant parents.
He studied pictorial design at the Carnegie Institute of Technology before becoming a successful commercial illustrator in New York City.
His 1962 Campbell's Soup Cans became iconic works of Pop Art, elevating everyday consumer goods to fine art.
Warhol founded 'The Factory,' his famous New York studio, which became a hub for artists, musicians, celebrities, and creatives.
He was shot and critically wounded by Valerie Solanas in 1968, an event that significantly influenced his later life and work.

Source

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