Selected biography

Andrew Warhola (August 6, 1928 - February 22, 1987), known as Andy Warhol, was an American artist and a central figure in the movement known as pop art. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became famous worldwide for his work as a painter, an avant-garde filmmaker, a record producer, an author, and a public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats. Warhol's art encompassed many forms of media, including hand drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silk screening, sculpture, film, and music. He was also a pioneer in computer-generated art using Amiga computers that were introduced in 1984, two years before his death. He founded Interview Magazine and was the author of numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement. His studio, The Factory, was a famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons.

Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films. He coined the widely used expression "15 minutes of fame". Many of his creations are very collectible and highly valuable. The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is US$105 million for a 1963 canvas titled "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)". A 2009 article in The Economist described Warhol as the "bellwether of the art market". Warhol's works include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold.

Did you know ...

• ... that the 19th-century swindler Bertha Heyman (pictured), known as "The Confidence Queen," conned men by pretending to be a wealthy woman who was unable to access her fortune?
• ... that the New York Stars were the champions of the Women's Professional Basketball League in its second year, but never played another game as the team disbanded after the 1979-80 season?
• ... that over 100 countries are represented and almost 170 languages are spoken in the ethnic enclaves of New York City?
• ... that Lighthouse Hill on Staten Island got its name from the Staten Island Lighthouse, built in 1912, which towers 141 feet (43 meters) above the Lower New York Bay and can be seen as far as 18 miles (29 km) away?
• ... that The New York Times moved in 1858 to a building at 41 Park Row, making it the first newspaper in New York City housed in a building built specifically for its use?

Selected anniversaries

• July 1, 1948 - The first flight departs from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
• July 2, 1868 - The IRT Ninth Avenue Line, the first elevated railway in New York City, opens.
• July 13, 1977 - A New York City blackout of 1977 lasting 25 hours begins, resulting in city-wide looting and arson.
• July 13-16, 1863 - The largest insurrection in United States history, outside of the American Civil War, occurs when an anti-draft riot (pictured) sees at least 120 civilians die, and 11 black men lynched.
• July 19, 1845 - The Great New York City Fire of 1845 breaks out.
• July 31, 1667 - The Treaty of Breda ends conflict between England and the Netherlands, with the Dutch surrendering their claim on New York.

Related portals