The Day Andy Died
In the 1980s, Andy Warhol experienced massive financial success. He continued to scale his burgeoning empire through commissioned artworks, and he formed relationships with younger artists who were dominating the New York art market. While he faced strong censure from critics for selling out and becoming a business artist, some began to recognize the genius of his work and operations. But it was too late.
Warhol was always convinced that he would die in a hospital. In 1973, he had refused surgery after being diagnosed with gallstones. He knew that chronic health issues from the shooting made any operation far more risky. But in early 1987, he decided to have a routine operation from which he should have had a quick recovery. Instead, Warhol passed away in his sleep soon after the surgery.
In the late 1960s, Warhol had met Willem de Kooning at a party. “You’re a killer of art, you’re a killer of beauty, and you’re even a killer of laughter,” de Kooning said to him. At the time, de Kooning did not realize that he had drunkenly pinned down perhaps the ultimate attribute of Warhol’s greatness: Warhol, using the death in his life as an instrument, would in fact kill art as it was known. But this death, like all others, created room for new art.
Critics slowly reconceptualized their ideas of Warhol’s so-called business art. The commercial nature of his life and work was finally recognized for what it was: “the most brilliant mirror of our times.” Warhol always had an extraordinary talent for grasping and reflecting powerful symbols, and he left behind a beautiful chronicle of American culture.
The recognition of this ability would soon replace claims that his art was merely superficial. Critics began to view the ways in which he commercialized his entire enterprise, leveraged his celebrity persona and adopted new methods of creation as some of his most admirable and impressive feats.
True to his character of being always ahead of his time, Warhol was the first globally recognized Pop artist to die. Collectors took his high-output Pop Art for granted while he was living; but in a stark reversal, his genius soon became apparent to the entire world of fine art. It only took him dying for them to appreciate this.
His death brought incredible value to his art. Thirty-five years after his death, Warhol’s creations maintain their blue chip status, as the works that were cheap and disregarded during his lifetime continue to break records for the most valuable art in the world.
Click here to continue reading about the Warhol Market.
Image Credits
Image 1: Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in New York City, taken by Ben Buchanan, 1984.
Image 2: The last professional portrait of Andy Warhol, taken November 22nd, 1986, by David LaChapelle.
