At the age of 8, Warhol contracted Chorea?also known as SST. Vita’s Dance?a rare and sometimes fatal disease of the nervous system that left him bedridden for several months. It was during these months, while Warhol was sick in bed, that his mother, herself a skillful artist, gave him his first drawing lessons. Drawing soon became Whorl’s favorite childhood pastime. He was also an avid fan of the movies, and when his mother bought him a camera at the age of 9 he took up photography as well. At the age of 14, Warhol again suffered a tragedy when his father passed away from a jaundiced liver.
Warhol was 50 upset that he could not attend his father’s unreal, and he hid Linden his bed throughout the wake. Whorl’s father had recognized his son’s artistic talents, and in his will he dictated that his life savings go toward Whorl’s college education. When he graduated from college with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1949, Warhol moved to New York City to pursue a career as a commercial artist. It Vass also at this time that he dropped the “a” at the end of his last name to become Andy Warhol. He landed a job With Glamour magazine in September, and went on to become one of the most successful commercial artists of the sass.
He won frequent awards for his uniquely whimsical style, using his own blotted line technique and rubber stamps to create his drawings. In the late sass, Warhol began devoting more attention to painting, and in 1961 , he debuted the concept of “pop art”?paintings that focused on mass-produced commercial goods. His portrait ” Eight Elvis” eventually resold for $100 million in 2008, making it one of the most valuable paintings in world history. In 1964, Warhol opened his own art studio, a large silver-painted warehouse known simply as “The Factory. ”
The Factory quickly became one of New York City’s premier cultural hotshots, a scene of lavish parties attended by the city’s wealthiest socialites and celebrities. Warhol also worked in sculpture and photography, and in the 1 he moved into television, hosting Andy Whorl’s TV and Andy Whorl’s Fifteen Minutes on Warhol died on February 22, 1987, at the age of 58, His personal life has been the subject of much debate and consideration. He is widely believed to have been a gay man, and his art was often infused with homoerotic imagery and motifs However, he claimed that he remained a virgin for his entire life.