Andy Warhol Biography

Fast Facts

• Father Ondrej was a construction worker; mother Julia was an embroiderer
• Contracted Sydenham's chorea (a disease that affects the nervous system) at the age of 8, and was frequently bedridden because of the illness
• Received his first formal training in art while in elementary school through free classes offered by the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh
• Moved to New York after graduation and found steady work as a commercial artist; worked as an illustrator for several magazines, including Glamour, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New Yorker
• In 1952, had his first solo exhibition at New York's Hugo Gallery with 15 drawings based on the writings of Truman Capote
• Debuted his Campbell Soup Can series in 1962
• Released his first book, Andy Warhol's Index, in 1967
• Survived an assassination attempt in 1968
• Guest starred in the 200th episode of The Love Boat in 1985
• The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987 shortly after his death that same year; his will stated that a majority of his estate should be used to create a foundation for the visual arts
• In 1994, the Andy Warhol Museum opened in his childhood city of Pittsburgh
• Commemorated on a United States postage stamp issued August 10, 2002; the 37-cent stamp features Warhol's painting "Self-Portrait, 1964" in celebration of the fine arts