Andy Warhol was one of the most important artists in the Pop art movement inAmerica.

Warhol became as famous as many of the celebrities he portrayed in hispopular screen prints. Among his many popular quotes and comments he statedfamously that "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15minutes."

Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in 1928 to Slovakian parents.Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Warhol studied Commercial Art at theCarnegie Mellon University (formerly known as the Carnegie Institute ofTechnology) from 1945 to 1949, majoring in Pictorial Design. He then moved thenmoved to New York to begin a career in illustration andadvertising.

Warhol achieved success as a commercial artist during the1950s, achieving commendations from the Art Director's Club and the AmericanInstitute of Graphic Arts. He began to become quite well known for his whimsicalink drawings of shoes. Warhol had work published in popular and widely magazinessuch as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New Yorker. He also created windowdisplays for several popular retail shop window fronts. During this time Warholalso began exhibiting his work in fine art galleries and managed to exhibit in agroup exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1956.

"Business art isthe step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want tofinish as a business artist." Andy Warhol

During the 1960s Andy Warholproduced many of his most famous and iconic images. He had now moved into "theFactory", a large building located on Union Square in New York City where himand his team of hired workers were mass producing screen prints of popularculture. Famous works from the period included the Cambells Soup Cans, CokeBottles, Disaster paintings and pop icon portraits such as Marilyn Monroe.Warhol also started making 16mm films during the 60s with titles like "ChelseaGirls" and "Blow Job".

The Factory as he called it was not just theworking space for the artist and his workers but was also a meeting place forall kinds of creative and talented people. Artists, musicians, writers andactors frequented the Factory with such notables as Mick Jagger and TrumanCapote stopping by. During one nearly fateful day in 1968 one of the Factoryregulars shot Andy Warhol in the stomach injuring several internal organs. Aderanged militant feminist Valerie Solanas fired 3 bullets at Warhol woundinghim only once. Warhol survived but never fully recovered from hisinjuries.

Andy Warhol was extensively exhibiting his works in well knowart galleries and museums around the world in the 70s and 80s. His celebrity wasalmost as great as his famous portraits of Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe, MichaelJackson and Elvis Presley. He published "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (from Ato B and back again)", started the "Interview" fashion magazine (still publishedtoday), and worked on several television projects including "Andy Warhol'sFifteen Minutes" produced for MTV. Warhol also collaborated with several up andcoming painters including Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente, and Jean-MichelBasquiat.

In 1987 on February 22 Andy Warhol died. After anon-threatening gall bladder operation complications arose and Warhol passedaway. His funeral was his final act of celebrity with more than 2000 peopleattending it. Many celebrities, artists, musicians and influential peopleattended, with Yoko Ono among those who spoke at his funeral.

"Deathmeans a lot of money, honey. Death can really make you look like a star." AndyWarhol

Andy Warhol was a methodical and obsessive person with a greatlove of art, wealth and fame. He amassed a great fortune during his life timeand achieved fame like no painter before him had achieved. He merged art, wealthand fame producing the Pop Artist Andy Warhol.

In 1994 the Andy WarholMuseum opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.