Andy Warhol - Why Was He So Different? | Biographical Documentary

Andy Warhol is one of the most instantly recognisable artists of modern times. From the late 1940s until his death in 1987, he produced over 9,000 paintings and sculptures and nearly 12,000 drawings. He also made hundreds of films and had a profound impact on the art world by forcing it to decide…. what is…and what isn’t… art.

He achieved global fame, wealth and cult status as the King of Pop Art within his own lifetime, but behind the glitz and glamour of his celebrity-filled world was a man who struggled to navigate the uncertainties and complexities of everyday life.

In this documentary we explore the life and mind of one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century. Part One focussed on his early years and his rise to fame as a successful commercial artist in the 1950s. This second part focusses on the full flourishing of his artistic talent in the 1960s, the day he almost died at the hands of one of his former associates and the shadow this cast over the rest of his life. We will also explore the many theories about what made Warhol so different from everyone else around him.

Finding Out More:
There are several excellent biographies of Warhol: The Biography by Victor Bockris, Warhol by David Bourdon and Warhol by Blake Gopnik. There is also his kind-of autobiography Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again first published in 1975. There is also a fascinating website run by Gary Comenas that is full of conversations and recollections about Warhol warholstars.org. I have added the biographies and some of his films to my Amazon store page: https://www.amazon.com/shop/professorgraemeyorston.

Academic References;
Harris, James C. "Before and After and Superman: Andy Warhol." JAMA psychiatry 71.1 (2014): 7-8.
Lania, N. (2015). Andy Warhol: Marginalization, childhood illness and performativity in portraiture. Art Journal, 2015(1), 4.

Copyright Disclaimer:
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.

Images:
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh
Museum of Modern Art
Wellcome Collection

Music
Cheap Velvet Elvis - Antti Luode CC3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
"I'm Waiting for the Man" by The Velvet Underground – Fair Use via Wikpedia
"Venus in Furs" by The Velvet Underground - Fair Use via Wikpedia
Thomas Tallis - Videte Miraculum - The Tudor Consort CC3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sweet Pipa Of Mine - Antti Luode CC3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
All other tracks CC0 via YouTube Music