About Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)

Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928 as one of three sons of immigrant parents from Eastern Europe. After graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, he went on to become a successful graphic designer in New York. His first visit to Japan was in 1956, as part of an around the world tour. Transitioning to painting, Warhol produced a large number of silkscreen works such as Marilyn and Elvis, masterpieces of his celebrities and death themed works of the mid-1960s. At around this time, Warhol became producer of the rock band Velvet Underground and immersed himself in experimental film production, declaring his demise as a painter. After being shot and seriously wounded by a radical feminist in 1968, however, Warhol in 1969 launched the magazine Interview and expanded his activities to become the darling of the 1970s New York social scene. He re-emerged as a painter with his 1972 Mao Zedong, and produced a number of portraits thereafter. Warhol returned to Japan in 1974 in conjunction with a large-scale solo exhibition. In the 1980s, Warhol made numerous TV appearances, including his Andy Warhol's T.V. series as well as ads for Japanese television. Andy Warhol died of a heart attack following gallbladder surgery at the age of 58 in New York.

"15 minutes eternal"

In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes. - Andy Warhol

The phrase "15 Minutes Eternal" in the exhibition title is derived from Warhol's well-known statement, "In the future everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." Although Warhol's life may have been but a short period in the long span of history, his influence likely will continue eternally.