Andy Warhol, Prince of Pop

An exceptionally well-organized biography. At 138 pages, generally not that detailed but overall thorough in what it does present. I learned more about Andy's youth here than I had elsewhere. Having taken a long time to appreciate how much my parents did for me, I was pleased to see just how much Andrey and Julia (and his brothers) sacrificed for Andy. If Andy was famous for being non-judgmental at the Factory, perhaps we can see the seeds of that in how accepting Andrej, Julia and his brothers were of unusual Andy. The distance from the seemingly ordinary Andrej and Julia to their extraordinary son seemed not that great. Although the Velvet Underground merited a few pages, I was disappointed that Lou Reed seemed to only be covered by one sentence. But that's a small nit compared to how well Andy is presented. For the most part Andy's inner world is not revealed, but it seems no one has done that (not even Andy). As much as is written about Andy, a fascinating mystery remains and it is a big mystery. Perhaps I haven't learned from Andy how to accept surfaces. What I appreciate about this biography is that it blocks out his life so well. The selection of his art in the middle of this book seems a good one. As an introduction to his art and to his life, this book seems a winner. The book closes with a good summary of important dates about Andy from 1926 to 2003, a list of selected films, a list of his books (which shoudln't be underestimated, for example "Popism" and "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol"), a glossary, notes, and an index. A lot of care has gone into constructing this biography. After reading this biography, a good next step would be "365 Takes" from the Andy Warhol Museum. Warhol was an exceptional genius, which people are still coming to realize. We're fortunate in getting to know him better to have high quality help like this book.

Greeneberg and Jordan are well-known for their lively biographies of artists. Prince of Pop is no exception. The cover prints of Warhol in full wig mania are sitmulating and invite the reader in. It is highly accessible and easy to read but not dumbed down. Their presentation takes the reader through a well-researched, chronological examination of his life in a balanced and honest way. There is much explanation of his inspiration and actual work process to interest the young artist. For non-artists there is a useful glossary of people and terms in the back. The authors also do a good job of explaining his personal dilemma between choosing a lucrative commercial art career and becoming a "great" artist. One of the best moments in the book shows how an art consultant gave him the Campbell soup can idea. Further insight into his unusual philosophies of art and life is revealed through the many quotes by Warhol, his critics, family and friends heading each chapter. Although geared for teens, the book does not avoid discussion of his decadent, wild social life nor his homosexuality. This is handled in a sensitive, but matter-of-fact way. It's just included as part of the wider context of his work in art, films and celebrity manufacturing. A really hip, fun biography!

While Andy Warhol: Prince Of Pop was co-authored by Jan Greeneberg and Sandra Jordan with teens in mind, it will also hold a dual interest for adult readers seeking a particularly lively, well detailed introduction to the life and works of ground breaking and innovative American artist Andy Warhol. There are selections of representative art but the strength of Andy Warhol: Prince Of Pop lies in its survey of his controversies, his New York hipster lifestyle, his influences, and his trend-setting achievements. Highly recommended reading, Andy Warhol: Prince Of Pop is so much more accessible than similar treatises which assume prior familiarity with Warhol's art.

It's not every day that one reads a biography so insightful and compelling that one wants to go learn more about the subject. I first encountered ANDY WARHOL: PRINCE OF POP as an excerpt in RUSH HOUR: Volume Two - Bad Boys. The excerpt, covering the central controversial period of Warhol's celebrity in the 1960s, excited me so much that I knew I had to read more. The rest of the biography does not disappoint. Organized in a linear narrative, the book covers Warhol's life, from his early childhood as the sickly child of Eastern European immigrants to his death at the age of 58 of complications after routine surgery. It organizes each period into thematic chapters filled with interesting anecdotes, pithy Warhol aphorisms, and memories from people who were there at the time. Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan's extensive knowledge of the subject and in-depth research into Warhol's life make this book a treasure. It includes a timeline, a glossary of unfamiliar art terms, an extensive bibliography of sources, and is heavily illustrated with some of Warhol's most famous works. While intended as a biography for young adults, this book makes Warhol's life, work, and the art of his age accessible in a way that will appeal to readers of all ages. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the authors' understanding and clear explanations of many of the art movements of the twentieth century. Also invaluable is the authors' illumination of the many processes Warhol used to produce his art, including painting, silk-screening, and experimental film. It is difficult for biographers to avoid the trap of finding greatness in the origins of their subjects. This book contains many stories about the Warhol being drawn to art at an early age. However, the authors' careful plotting of the transformation of a shy and painfully awkward boy into the international celebrity also suggests that one of Andy's greatest creations was his own image as an artist. ANDY WARHOL: PRINCE OF POP does not shy away from the racy subject matter of Warhol's experimental films or the raucous entourage he incorporated into his work in the 1960s. It also deals extensively, though not explicitly, with Warhol's homosexuality. The work of Andy Warhol is so influential that even readers who do not know anything about him will probably recognize his famous paintings of Campbell soup cans, or his celebrity portraits silk-screened onto brightly colored backgrounds. Greenberg and Jordan's book is engaging and thought-provoking. It will undoubtedly set the standard for young adult biographies for years to come. --- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

" 'We weren't just at the art exhibit. We were the exhibit.' " On Saturday night, October 20, 1973, during my first semester at UConn, I accompanied some of my new friends to an on-campus screening of Andy Warhol's Trash. It is an evening that I will never forget, although its significance has only partially to do with Warhol's raunchy "artistic" film, whose cast was immortalized in Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side." " 'Scripts bore me. It's much more exciting not to know what's going to happen.' " On our way to the theater, my friends detoured by way of a subterranean eatery on the south end of campus. Back then, the establishment was still adorned in original '50s dark leatherette, accompanied by chrome, pennants, mirrors, and a soda fountain. Parking me in a corner while they ordered themselves some slices, I zoned in on the radio as the music was interrupted by a news bulletin: President Nixon had just forced Attorney General Richardson and Assistant Attorney General Ruckelshaus to resign after their refusals to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Solicitor General Bork then proceeded to do the deed for Tricky Dick, and I proceeded to experience a surreal evening of having my eyes aimed at a screenful of junkies, prostitutes, and transvestites, while my mind kept repeating hysterically, "No! He can't do that! No! He can't do that!" (Robert Bork later got his second fifteen minutes of fame, as a failed Reagan Supreme Court nominee, and continues to get an additional five or ten seconds each time I explain to middle school classes the origin of Rodman Philbrick's phraseology, "That really borks me off," when we read them THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE.) But I seriously digress. " 'Now and then people would accuse me of being evil--of letting people destroy themselves while I watched, just so I could film or tape record them,' Andy said. 'But I learned when I was little that whenever I got aggressive and tried to tell someone what to do, nothing happened. I just couldn't carry it off.' " In the long run it can be argued that Andy Warhol and his complex life became much larger than his art. But the rise of Andy Warhol was the result of a simple and logical progression. An artistic son of eastern European immigrants grows up to become a successful commercial artist. "Pittsburgh was far from New York, but the lessons Andy had learned in his hometown--work hard and work fast--were already serving him well." A commercial artist is someone who is creating interesting and appealing images of products for sale. And the slight, pale, hardworking subject of this book was an absolute master at it. So when a new art movement coincidentally appeared--Pop Art--that involved the incorporation of everyday objects and newspaper images in paintings, who would have been a more likely person to rise and become the prince of that movement than this true master of commercial art? And who better to tell the fascinating life story of