Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol

by Tony Scherman, David Dalton

Fine in fine dust jacket (a new copy.) Hardcover first edition - New Harper Collins,, (2009.). Hardcover first edition -. Fine in fine dust jacket (a new copy.). First printing. "A major reassessment of the most influential and controversial American artist of the second half of the twentieth century . . . Based on extensive new interviews and insight from those who knew him best." Illustrated throughout with black and white photographs plus 16 pages of glossy full color plates of Warhol's work. Notes, index. xv, 509 pp,

Genres: Biography, Art, Nonfiction

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Tony Scherman (born 1950) is a Canadian painter. He is known for his use of encaustic and portraiture to depict persons and events of historical or popular significance.

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes another Warhol bio, and do we need another one? Well, actually yes. And he's not even my favorite artist, but nevertheless without a doubt one of the more important people who came out of the 20th Century. And this book by Scherman and David Dalton (a goo bio writer and ghost writer of sorts) captures Warhol at the peak of his greatness. And more important I think his decades (the late 50's and through out the 60's) was even more great than him, if that's possible.

Warhol was not the first artist to grab attention to the high and (very) low end of pop culture, but he was a bridge between the two worlds. And it must have been magnificent to be floating in his world, say 1963 to 1965.

The book stops when he got shot, and afterwards a new version of Warhol came out of that tragedy. Not as interesting (work wise and social wise) as the 60's Warhol, but nevetheless it is almost like someone turned on a light - and Warhol had to either swim or die. He chose to survive and what happened afterwards (his shooting) is material for another book.

But here we get the good years, and the commentary and interviews are really good. Not only important to Warhol obsessives, but also to readers who are fascinated by the NY Art World of the late 50's and 60's. That is just as interesting as Warhol.

Oh, and the book will come out in November.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most self obsessed human on the planet cons the entire art world and becomes the first real art "icon". I had to hold my breath to keep to bile from exploding from my mouth every 5 seconds, whilst reading.
I will never understand how an OCD nhilalistic, narcissist, no talent ever got such a following, I guess he was the first king of Public Relations, and Publicity!
But than there are the Kardashians..... Which proves that there is no such thing as class and taste any more.
this is where it all started.

[Craig Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly gossipy, readable biography that does a good job of setting Warhol in the art world(s) of the fifties and early sixties. Scherman provides a clear picture of the transition from abstract impressionism to pop in the gallery world, and presents the strong case for Warhol as a, maybe the, major artist of the decade. The vignettes of life in Warhol's various studios, including the first incarnation of The Factory are lively and entertaining. Like many biographers, Scherman has clearly been sucked into his subject's orbit; there are many points where a bit of a broader view or some critical distance would have been useful. For example, Scherman argues that Europe wasn't ready to accept Warhol's experimental movies but Godard, for one, had been making much more interesting flicks for years; if you want to see improvisation done well, watch Pierror le Fou, not Chelsea Girls. Focusing almost entirely on the 1960s, Pop falls off sharply near the end. That's partly because the interesting part of Warhol's story is over by 1968 (even before Andy's near fatal shooting by Valerie Solanas), but it's also because Scherman became ill during the late stages of the writing and turned the book over to collaborator David Dalton, who'd worked as one of Warhol's assistants. Worth reading for sixties obsessives.

[GK Stritch · Rating 3 out of 5]

"POP" provides a great deal of information, (pages and pages and pages), perhaps an overload of info, especially on those "unendurable" films. If the reader is looking for a chronology, facts and figures, the how and why and income of AW, this is a good book, 5 stars for compiling all the data. [QUESTION: How was Andy able to use the comic characters, brand name graphics, AP photos, etc. (other people's work and intellectual property)? Did he pay a royalty? The book doesn't seem to address that question (nor do others), but it does briefly mention Andy being challenged by a few photographers (pp. 237-8) and getting out of it by distributing a painting here and there, and a brief few sentences on trademark law and Coca-Cola (p. 400).] Andy's silver helium touch, hard work, largely unpaid staff, support from influential art-world insiders, allows him to rise--a fascinating American ascent, perhaps bumpier than indicated in other sources, as not all of the art world was thrilled with him. Cinderella or Dracula? Not for me to decide--probably both depending on one's relationship and usefulness to the man--but don't work for the guy if you need a paycheck. Not exactly a fun book, the first time I laughed was on p. 394, if the reader seeks entertainment, find another book. If looking for answers on how Andy succeeded in business, this is a start.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly more than I ever needed or wanted to know about the man. Excellent index, nice pix, loads of information. I could flop this book open at any page and be instantly absorbed; the material is well presented.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you regard Warhol as a genius, a charlatan, or a combination of both, his impact on the art world, if not the world in general, was substantial. This well-researched & well-written biog focuses on the 60s, the decade that Warhol partly owned. There's a big cast of artists, freaks, grifters & wannabees, most of whom I doubt I'd have enjoyed spending even a few minutes with, but I found it fascinating nonetheless. My favourite character is Edie Sedgwick, the poor little formally rich girl who was adopted, briefly, by Warhol as one of his superstars. Jean Stein's oral biography of Edie is rivetting. If you are interested in art, film, culture, pop culture, the 1960s, or bohemian life you will most likely enjoy this. I certainly did.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid bio that covers, arguably, AWs most creative period. Gets a little dry when he “retires” from painting to focus on filmmaking. Interesting, insightful and a little sad

[Eafeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an extremely close look at Andy Warhol’s world from 1960-1968, tracinv his evolution from commercial art to pop art (which emerged in 1961/62), silkscreen printing to filmmaking. I felt like I had plopped own right into the 1960’s New York art/bohemian scene. It is rich in detail - analysis of his tax records, newspaper headlines, IOU’s, letters, and most importantly, interview quotes from over a hundred people.

A lot of people appear and re-appear throughout the book. At times it was hard to remember who a specific person was, but overall, I felt like the authors did a good job of helping me keep track.
Despite the amount of detail, I was pretty entertained the whole time. The end does come a bit abruptly.

I learned many surprising facts For example, I didn’t know that Serendipity 3 was once the center of the gay scene in NY. I just knew it for its desserts! I also didn’t know that the idea for ‘silvering’ the factory came from Billy Linich, one of the people in Warhol’s circle. Warhol was not initially the most famous pop artists — they were initially were Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. Also, in 1961, he paid interior designer Muriel Lutow $50 for an idea, and she suggested the Campbell’s soup cans. He once had someone pose as him during a lecture tour at college campuses — eventually the ruse was discovered, and he had to return to give the lectures himself. He often didn't pay those who worked for him -- sometimes they had to sue him for payment -- other times, they were happy just to be there, but left when they no longer benefitted.

I learned a lot about the evolution of Warhol’s work during that time period and the people that influenced it.

This book makes you think about whether Warhol was a ‘genius’ in creating his art. AW was tireless, talented, and self-promoting. At the same time, a lot of his art was produced as the culmination and combination of the ideas, energies, and work of more than just him. Still, he was the center of it all. Even though he was socially awkward, and kept himself at a distance from most people, somehow he became the ‘Queen Bee’ of this community of strange people, those from both ‘high’ and ‘low’ parts of society.

In the end, I didn’t necessarily feel closer to the man himself, as his quotes throughout are often self-contradictory and about the work, not about personal feelings. However, I did feel like I came out with a greater understanding of the parts of him as experienced through the people who knew him.

[Madeleine Morrison]

333 pages in and already I would recommend it as one of the best biographies on Andy Warhol. It's always going to be hard to say a certain biography/portrayal of Warhol was objective, or rather more objective, than another. Such is the nature of Andy Warhol. The idea of a mirror constantly comes up when reading about Warhol - that he was a mirror, when you tried to look inside Warhol, to discover him, you would end up seeing, not Warhol, but rather a reflection of yourself. From my readings, I would say this is a good analogy/description. However, I don't think what you got back was a clear reflection of yourself, but rather a reflection of yourself that was altered - for better or worse - by trying to 'discover' the "Real" Warhol. In other words, when you dive into a persons soul (to borrow a term I don't necessarily use literally), you won't leave without taking with you part of that persons soul, just like you can't dive into a pool (with water..) and get out of it not wet. BUT I DIGRESS!
As much as I can say this is one of the most objective books on Andy Warhol, I shall say it. I don't know if the amount of subconscious subjectivity involved in writing about Warhol and what "really" happened and how he was "really" like, is going to be so strong that - even if this were the Most Objective Book on Andy Warhol - it would be a meaningless 'praise.'
So, let's go back to Mirrors. Now imagine Andy Warhol as a mirror. Imagine Warhol in the hospital in 1987 as he takes his final breath - as he exhales for the last time, imagine the force of that exhale shattering the mirror, leaving the world with hundreds or thousands of fragments of the Mirror that was Andy Warhol. This book is one of those fragments - perhaps a big one. But the only way I can see getting close to grasping a more full knowledge of Warhol and the way he thought and all that jazz, is by finding as many pieces of the mirror you can and slowly re-build the mirror for yourself. This is a process that is probably unending.
And remember, you're putting back together a mirror. Don't be surprised when you start seeing yourself reflected back at you. I hope the reflection you see changes you in a positive way, as it did me, and not in a negative way - as it has done throughout the years to many people.

REVIEW OF THE BOOK YOU SAY?! NAH! ESSAY ABOUT ANDY WARHOL? SURE.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a Warhol afficionado, you will wolf down this 448 page entertaining, gossipy and fact-filled tome. The book is an in-depth retelling of Warhol's life from birth to near-death gunshot wounds from Valerie Solanis in 1968, dwelling mostly on the pop art/Factory years up until the Solanis incident. Post gunshot Andy to his death in 1987 is dealt with in a short epilogue -- the Genius of Warhol was in flower in the 60s. The rest was just so much glitz and glitter. You'll love the breezy writing style of the book and the insider's look at the Factory with all its warts exposed (it was truly a drug house at one point).

And while there's no attempt to psychoanalyze or dissect Warhol's personality, it's clear the writers are fascinated by this man who was a genius and was a mess of contradictions (shy and self-promotional; sweet and visciously catty; rich and perpetually worried about money). Here's two interesting tidbits to mull over in the book that reverberate: Andy was dyslexic (P. 10) and his college friends wrote his papers for him; and he bought the idea for the Campbell's soup can paintings for $50 from a gallerist he knew (P. 74).

I came away with new awe for Andy's business abilities. For example -- and this reverberates especially in light of Shepherd Fairey's current battle with the AP -- when Andy, was approached by photographer whose image he had appropriated, Warhol immediately settled up with the photographer for a sum of money and royalties on sales. Win, win.

David Dalton, who is co-writer on this book, was the writer on James Rosenquist's new autobiography, Painting Below Zero, which I hear is also faaaabulous.

[Marco Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

POP! THE GENIUS OF ANDY WARHOL

Great biography of Andy, highlighting his most productive years during the 60s. There were many interesting facts, such as the fact that Warhol paid one of his friends, an interior designer Muriel Latow, $50 because he was out of ideas. She took the money and said he should paint, "Something you see every day and something that everybody would recognize. Something like a can of Campbell's Soup." The original set was bought for $1,000 by Irving Blum, who later sold it to the MOMA for $15 million.

Warhol’s restless spirit is well described. Just as soon as he found success in the Pop movement, he started making films, which he seemed to like more, though he had no sense of narrative whatsoever. Being behind a camera was a way for Andy to not engage with people at all, while satisfying his voyeuristic desires.

He loved surrounding himself with freaks of all kinds. Warhol drew energy from them, yet ultimately they brought him down. Several were opportunistic, and one, Valerie Solanas, a fringe character who wasn’t around the Factory a lot, shot him. I didn’t realize that Andy was actually pronounced dead from that bullet, yet he went on to live another two decades.

Very cool to learn about the photographer Stephen Shore and Gerard Malanga, as well as the Factory denizens I knew about before, like Nico and Edie Sedgwick.

[Katerina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I barely made it through the 100s page and had to stop at 106th. The amount of names that are being mentioned, are hard to follow. The description of Warhols' type of art technique is probably interesting but it made me realize that I have absolutely no interest as to how he did it nor why. I honestly expected to read and be fascinated as to how his relationships were with his family, his colleagues - which by no mistake were described in the book, but by no means did it captivate me. It made me feel very cold towards Warhol and as though he was soulless or maybe the author didn't know how to put deeper feelings into this book. Unless, that's exactly who Andy Warhol was, so maybe I didn't miss the point. In any case, this is more of an art-technique description, rather than a biography of a man who changed modern art in the 60s.

[Rob Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe it or not, the last word HADN'T been written on Andy Warhol! This gripping work focuses exclusively on his best, most innovative period, from his 1961 painting debut to his shooting by Valerie Solanas in 1968, and through exhaustive research and copious interviews brings to light loads of new material, encompassing Warhol's private life, his vastly influential artworks, and the infamous Factory scene which whirled around him. Very insightful analysis enhances the authors' exhaustively detailed and well-written breakdown of those heady, revolutionary days, resulting in a work which makes fresh this often covered territory. Highly recommended to anyone interested in modern/contemporary art in general, and Warhol in particular.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main reason why I wanted to read this book is because I'm fascinated with fame and while I Warhol is famous, I didn't know that he yearned for fame from a very young age. He also kind of reinvented what fame is and changed not only the art world, but also how we perceive art, both in art museums and in movies and magazines. I can see why men get the attention in paintings and movies now. Not only are they more driven generally, but they have more of an obsessiion with art than women. Although, I think in my experience, I need to tone down my obsessions, because obviously it isn't getting me too far personally or professionally. Just a fact.

[Jana Bouc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the first half of the book that describes how Warhol got started in art (and life) which was what I was interested in. I was less interested in the Factory and creepy stuff that went on there, so was satisfied to skim the rest of this very thick, engaging book. If I didn't have a pile of more tempting books waiting for me I'd have finished it. I recommend it to anyone interested in knowing everything about Warhol.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I buy the "genius" of Andy Warhol, but this book does have a lot of fascinating details. I remember when I found my first copy of Interview magazine and had a postcard of one of his Marilyns. He seemed like the ultimate pop culture provocateur at the time. This book made me see a lot more of his banal side. I don't think that was the author's point, but I no longer have any desire to time travel back to The Factory or to hang with Andy.

[Cindy Feigert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our bookclub is reading biographies this month. I chose Andy Warhol because I visited The
Warhol museum this summer. So I thought I would like to learn more about him and I did. It was an interesting look at the rise of Andy's career and the rise of pop culture. But for me this was a hard read at times because of all the names and characters. I found myself glossing over parts of the book. I'm sure if you are more of an art expert than I you would find this book impressive.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't altogether finish this book, but it proved extremely helpful in writing my research paper about Andy Warhol for my Great Ideas final. It was interesting and insightful, and I appreciated its thoroughness in presenting all sides of a story, as Warhol tended to be rather elusive and even intentionally misleading about his life and art.

[doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great portrait of mid-60's NYC art-freak underground and mainly focused on (let's be honest here)Warhol's most interesting period. Touched upon his probable homosexuality but surmised that even taking that into account Andy was just a weird bird. A genius, line in the sand kind of guy, but also truly deeply strange.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice companion to Popism; it offers a perspective at a bit greater distance, both of time and of personal separation, than that 1980 memoir (which is still probably my favorite of all the Warhol books I've read). This feels like a pretty reliable examination of Warhol's ascent and peak in terms of scholarship, argument, and presentation. Recommended.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I last read the very well-put-together YA biography Prince of Pop, but this particular adult bio got a really good review in the newspaper--it is detailed, lengthy, graphic, and totally fascinating, written by two giants in the music and pop culture journalism world.

[Kacper · Rating 4 out of 5]

after this book, i decided to buy the rights to eee eeee eeee and make my own movie and be rich, and also to sell some of my rainbow drawings.

[Rob Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of Warhol's 1960's work. Not much new here for the hardcore fans (like me), but this book would make a solid introduction for those not in the know.

[Jack Goodstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warhol's decade of greatness, the sixities from the soup cans to the underground movies. Lots of gossip about the hangers on.

[Sweaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book. i like reading anything about warhol.

[Mauricio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warhol biography.

[Patricia]

So weird because I am ambivalent towards Warhol's art but am completely fascinated by reading about him. Stories about Edie Sedgwick were quite depressing.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a life! What a career! Excellent Biography