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.
After exhibiting his work in several galleries in the late 1950s, he began to receive recognition as an influential and controversial artist. Some of his best-known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) and Marilyn Diptych (1962), the experimental films Empire (1964) and Chelsea Girls (1966), and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966–67).īorn and raised in Pittsburgh, Warhol initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator. 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, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. Aug– February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, producer, and leading figure in the pop art movement. Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966 event)Īndy Warhol ( / ˈ w ɔːr h ɒ l/ born Andrew Warhola Jr.
