Andy Warhol

As an underground art star, Andy Warhol (1928-87) was the antidote to the prevalent abstract expressionist style of 1950s America. Looking at his background as a child of an immigrant family, his ideas about death and religion, as well as his queer perspective, this book explores Warhol’s limitless ambition to push the traditional boundaries of painting, sculpture, film and music. It reveals an artist who both succeeded and failed in equal measure; an artist who embraced the establishment while cavorting with the underground. Exploring Warhol’s knowing flirtation with the commercial world of celebrity alongside his advocacy of alternative lifestyles, it presents his work within the context of his time in a way that connects to contemporary concerns. Including a unique contribution from writer Olivia Laing, an artist’s response from Martine Syms and an exclusive interview with former Factory insider, Bob Colacello, this book returns Warhol to the shifting creative and political landscape in which he lived, and highlights how he and his work marked a period of cultural transformation.