Andy Warhol Posters 'n' Pop

The Artist

Enigma - Andy is often described by those who knew him as a complex figure resistant to any type of analysis. He acquired an image in the media for being the artist who never spoke and who avoided interviews fervently. When he decided to do them, friends say he would lie. He is also said to have sent impersonators wearing wigs for his lecture circuit. When he entered the hospital for gall bladder surgery in 1987, he used a false name.

Andy was so mysterious, people question the accuracy of his birth date. When Andy was born, there was no birth certificate issued. It wasn't until 1945, when he went to college, that it was produced. Although the accepted date is generally August 2, 1928, some still aren't convinced.

This page is an attempt to provide a small window into the artist's persona - to present little-known facts, as well as those more commonly known facts that people often mistake.

His Look
Some say Warhol was obsessed with image and fame, and that he influenced artists to pay as much attention to their appearance as their work. When Andy moved to New York, he decided to start wearing wigs. This led to the infamous silver wig he began wearing in mid-1960.

Andy had a very modern look and was often seen immaculately dressed in a suit, with his tie askewed or his collar undone to make his look unique. He loved trendy things and tried to wear them before anybody else could. Later in his career, he was notorious for wearing black only. Since black clothes tend to look alike, he would wear a rip in his pants or do something that would indicate he wasn't always wearing the same clothes.

Whether or not Andy consciously labored over his appearance is a topic of discussion that people disagree on. While some say he was obsessed with looking good, giving beauty care tips and filling his bags with endless supplies of cosmetics, others say he deliberately tried to look as bad as he could. Andy was once quoted for saying: "I play down my good features and play up the bad ones. So I look awful and I wear the wrong pants and the wrong shoes and I come at the wrong time with the wrong friends, and I say the wrong things and I talk to the wrong person, and then still sometimes somebody gets interested and I freak out and I wonder 'What did I do wrong?'"

Andy began modeling for the Zoli agency in 1983, but many say this was an endorsement of his celebrity status more than anything.