The father of pop art, Andy Warhol’s play on mainstream imagery, which blurs the lines between celebrity, advertising and artistic expression, made him one of the most pivotal and influential artists of the 20th century. To celebrate Artsnap’s collection of Andy Warhol artworks for sale, we’ve rounded up seven facts about the revolutionary artist.
1. His last name is actually Warhola
The American artist was was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as Andrew Warhola. He was the fourth child of Ondrej Warhola and Julia (née Zavacká), whose first child was born in their homeland and died before their move to the United States.
Warhol’s parents were working-class Lemko emigrants from Mikó, Austria-Hungary (now called Miková, located in today's northeastern Slovakia).
It’s rumoured that the artist’s birth date (6 August 1928) was never officially recorded at the hospital, and that he liked to change his birthday and make up stories about his youth during interviews with the press.
2. Warhol was a hypochondriac
The artist was scared of hospitals and doctors. This is possibly due to the fact that when he was eight, he was bedridden due to a nerve disease called chorea.
3. He was shot (and nearly died) on 3 June 1968
He was shot in the torso by American radical feminist and author Valerie Solanas, after Warhol rejected a script she had written.
Warhol didn’t die until 22 February 1987 (aged 58) following post gallbladder surgery complications. He is buried at St John the Baptist Byzantine Cemetery, next to his parents.
4. Warhol purposely created a ‘signature look’ to hide his physical flaws
To cover his bald head, he wore grey and silver wigs. And to train his lazy eyes he wore opaque glasses with pinholes to look through.
5. The artist had a ‘Permanent Smell Collection’
Warhol wished to document and trigger memories by using scents as time capsules. He changed his perfume every three months. During his burial, a friend threw a bottle of Estée Lauder Beautiful into his grave.
6. He made a bizarre cookbook
In 1959, along with interior decorator friend Suzie Frankfurt, Warhol created a cookbook called Wild Raspberries.
Mocking the genre of stylish French cookbooks, the duo wrote recipes for ‘dishes’, such as Omelet Greta Garbo (to be eaten alone), Roast Iguana Andalusian, and Gefilte of Fighting Fish. The book is illustrated with 19 Warhol’s illustrations.
7. Warhol was gay, but claimed to be a virgin up until his death
Even though he was known to be homosexual, to have had partners, and even did many works with erotic male figures, the artist still practised celibacy and confirmed this in his diary:
“Yesterday, I was watching a game show, Blockbusters with Bill Cullen, and it was two black guys, a warden and his cousin, against a white girl and the category was “Letters” and the question was: “Andy Warhol is a ‘V.’” And (laughs) she got the answer right, she said “Virgin.””
Warhol was a devout Byzantine Catholic. He volunteered at homeless shelters and attended Mass religiously.
