Andy Warhol: Self-Portraits

by Robert Rosenblum, Andy Warhol

Perhaps no other artist from the second half of the 20th century is as familiar to the public as Andy Warhol--and his self-portraits can hardly be said to have played a lackluster role with regards to the artist's celebrity. U.S. postage stamp anyone? Occupying a position of central importance in his oeuvre, Warhol's self-portraits also occupy a consistent, long-running one. From the first self-images in gouache painted by 16-year-old Andrew Warhol in the mid-40s to the fright-wig series completed shortly before his death in February 1987, Andy Warhol continually used self-portraiture to reflect on his position and social status as an artist, performing a variety of roles in the process. Yet he never made use of the traditional topos of the artist's self-portrait; his fascination with transience and death is constantly present, as in his other works. Although a seemingly endless number of books have been published on Warhol's various work groups, this is the first monograph devoted exclusively to his self-portraits. The accompanying essays discuss different aspects of the theme and examine Warhol's self-portraits in the light of an expanded concept of the artist's self-portrait in the 20th century.

120 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2004

About the author

Robert Rosenblum (24 July 1927 - 6 December 2006) was a curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and a professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. He is the author of multiple volumes on modern and contemporary art, including The Paintings of August Strindberg and Paintings in the Musee d'Orsay. Rosenblum is the recipient of a Frank Jewett Mather Award for Distinction in Art Criticism.

Reviews

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest take on Andy Warhol: Self-Portraits: it's a book that wants to be everything and mostly pulls it off. Rosenblum, Robert blends a love story, a murder, and a family secret across two generations, and the scene where the older sister finally reads a letter she's avoided for thirty years is outstanding. The story sprawls, and a few threads dangle. For readers who like big, ambitious novels that take their time. Skip it if you want something tidy and short.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight up, the first chapter of Andy Warhol: Self-Portraits is the best part and nothing after it quite matches it. Robert Rosenblum sets the bar sky-high, then coasts for a while. Still worth reading for the voice alone, so recommend it to style lovers and warn the plot purists.