Andy Warhol

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Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol is considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, and filmmaking. Some of his best-known works include the silkscreen paintings ''Campbell's Soup Cans'' (1962) and ''Marilyn Diptych'' (1962), the experimental film ''Chelsea Girls'' (1966), and the multimedia events known as the ''Exploding Plastic Inevitable'' (1966–67).

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Warhol initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator in the 1950s. After exhibiting his work in art galleries, he began to receive recognition as an influential and controversial artist in the 1960s. His New York studio, The Factory, became a well-known gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy patrons. He directed and produced several underground films starring a collection of personalities known as Warhol superstars, and is credited with inspiring the widely used expression "15 minutes of fame." Warhol managed and produced the experimental rock band the Velvet Underground.

After surviving an assassination attempt by radical feminist Valerie Solanas in June 1968, Warhol focused on transforming The Factory into a business enterprise. He founded ''Interview'' magazine and authored numerous books, including ''The Philosophy of Andy Warhol'' (1975) and ''Popism: The Warhol Sixties'' (1980). He also hosted the television series ''Fashion'' (1979–80), ''Andy Warhol's TV'' (1980–83), and ''Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes'' (1985–87). Warhol died of cardiac arrhythmia, aged 58, after gallbladder surgery in February 1987.

Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and documentary films. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city of Pittsburgh, which holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives, is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist.

Warhol has been described as the "bellwether of the art market". His artwork is regarded as extremely collectible and valuable. His work include the most expensive paintings ever sold. In 2013, ''Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)'' (1963) sold for $105 million, setting a record for the artist. In 2022, ''Shot Sage Blue Marilyn'' (1964) sold for $195 million, which is the highest price paid at auction for a work by an American artist.