The Andy Warhol Diaries....

I watched another Netflix, as I tend to do, and this time it was on Andy Warhol. A six part series.

Andy Warhol dead at 58 far too young. A very complicated, clever, artist and designer he liked to surrounded himself with beautiful people. 

One young man was just doing deliveries to the studio and Warhol said he is far too good looking to be doing that, later to become his protege and companion.

He was interesting and I felt sad in equal parts watching the Netflix series "The Andy Warhol Diaries".

Never happy with his appearance and his skin texture he was well known for wearing a white hairpiece because of his thinning hair. It was certainly a one of a kind in appearance as he famously appeared in all his photos including for the cover of The Diary.

Famous for his Campbells Soup pictures...he later said that was the most well known and best thing he ever did. In 1962 when the canvases of Campbells Soup were first displayed they were placed together on shelves, like products on a grocery aisle.

He had many loves but, as stated in the series, was unsure if they were actual loves or infatuations...some said he lived a celibate lifestyle. 

Much to the annoyance of one of his companions, which forced a falling out, he delved deeper into pornography and photographing male nudes.

He was ahead of his time as he was a "pop artist" before it really was even called pop art.

The diaries move through from November 24 1976 and ends eleven years later on February 17 1987 just five days before his untimely death.

It was edited by his long time friend and collaborator Pat Hackett. In the Netflix series there are questions if "things" were left out of the diaries in the editing process to give Andy Warhol a better "look" as it were. Pat said no that didn't happen as Andy went through everything himself and checked the facts. He would call her every morning and spoke of the events of the previous day and was published in 1989 after his death. It is a condensed version of Warhol's more than 20,000 page diary.

He survived being shot by Valerie Solanas in 1968 an act that almost killed him. Photo below..

He would spend eight weeks in hospital recovering from the bullets that had torn holes in his body. He survived but that gave him a fear of hospitals which ultimately caused his premature death in delaying an operation he required for his gallbladder that he should have had much earlier, later leading to heart complications. 

Solanas had been trying to get Warhol to produce a play she had written. Warhol misplaced the script , was unable to return it to her when she asked and was subsequently later shot. It left him physically and emotionally scarred and forced him to wear a surgical corset for the rest of his life.

We move through to the 1980's at alarming speed and his hectic lifestyle. Studio 54 was the center of the universe for many of the bright young things of the time. It was disco, it was party, party, party and then HIV AIDs hit and not only killed the party scene but also killed many, too many, young creative men.

Andy was paranoid of being close to anyone at that time and one line of his I remember was he received a kiss on the cheek by one young man he knew and said he could feel his unshaven face against his and wondered if his skin would be punctured by the sharpness of the others beard.

People were fearful of this disease including myself as a gay man. (That's the first time I have ever put that in print..the gay man part!) It was a difficult time in the eighties with so many false misconceptions swirling around from many uninformed sources. Many from far right religious groups, especially in America and from people advising President Ronald Reagan who many would say was slow to react to what was happening. His press secretary, again at the time, laughing about the AIDS crisis as figures quickly doubled and doubled again...

These facts are well known and can be sourced on the internet.

It's an interesting, hedonistic sojourn through his many personal journeys and to the most iconic of his works the portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Debra Harry, Elvis Presley,  etc.,

This Andy Warhol 'Marilyn', is estimated to fetch $200 Million, and could become the Most Expensive Work of Art Ever Sold at Auction. The painting will be sold at Christie's in May this year.

'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn (1964)' is being sold by the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland and all proceeds will go to charitable causes, particularly those benefiting children and health.

Just one painting, the offering represents the largest philanthropic sale since the Rockefeller auction in 2018 according to Christie's.

In 2021 Warhol generated $347.6 million at auction,

Series worth seeing. Hang on for the ride it is graphic at times😏 

The Andy Warhol museum is situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. where he was born. 

His original name Andrew Warhola