Warhol (or Warhol: A Life as Art) is a 2020 biography of American artist Andy Warhol written by art critic Blake Gopnik. It was published by Allen Lane in the UK and Ecco in the US. At 976 pages in length, it has been marketed as the definitive biography of Warhol.[3] Waldemar Januszczak of The Sunday Times wrote that "it is impossible to imagine anyone finding out much more about Andy than is recorded here. In that sense it's definitive."[4]
.png) Cover of first edition (Ecco) Andy Warhol on his favorite chair, in New York, February 27, 1968, photograph by Barton Silverman[1] | |
| Author | Blake Gopnik |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Graham Halstead |
| Working title | Warhol: A Life as Art[2] |
| Cover artist | Barton Silverman (photo) Allison Saltzman (design) |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Andy Warhol |
| Publisher | Ecco (US) Allen Lane (UK) |
Publication date | March 5, 2020 (UK) April 28, 2020 (US) |
| Publication place | United States United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 976 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-229839-3 (US hardcover) 978-0-241-00338-1 (UK hardcover) |
| Website | warholiana |
Publication
editThe book was first published in the United Kingdom as Warhol: A Life as Art in hardcover and e-book format by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, on March 5, 2020.[3] An audiobook narrated by Graham Halstead was first published by Penguin on April 16, 2020.[5]
The book was published unsubtitled as Warhol in the United States in hardcover, e-book and audiobook format by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, on April 28, 2020.[6][7]
The front cover of the book's dust jacket was designed by Allison Saltzman and features a photograph of Andy Warhol sitting in a chair in New York on February 27, 1968, photographed by Barton Silverman.[1]
Reception
editAt the review aggregator website Book Marks, which assigns individual ratings to book reviews from mainstream literary critics, the book received a cumulative "Positive" rating based on 22 reviews: 6 "Rave" reviews, 10 "Positive" reviews, 4 "Mixed" reviews, and 2 "Pan" review.[8]
In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it "an immensely enjoyable book that blends snappy writing with careful exegeses of the artist's influences and techniques".[9]
Publishers Weekly gave the book a favorable review, writing, "Gopnik's exhaustive but stylishly written and entertaining account is Warholian in the best sense—raptly engaged, colorful, open-minded, and slyly ironic."[10]
Writing for Harper's Magazine, Gary Indiana panned the book, calling it "elephantine, ill-written, nearly insensible".[11]
The book was also reviewed by Waldemar Januszczak in The Sunday Times,[4] Lucy Sante in The New York Times,[12] Kathryn Hughes in The Guardian,[13] Stephen Metcalf in the Los Angeles Times,[14] Roger Lewis in The Times,[15] Dominic Green in The Wall Street Journal,[16] and Paul Alexander in The Washington Post.[17]
Publication history
edit- Warhol: A Life as Art. London: Allen Lane (published March 5, 2020). 5 March 2020. ISBN 978-0-241-00338-1.[3]
- Warhol. New York: Ecco (published April 28, 2020). 21 April 2020. ISBN 978-0-06-229839-3.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Blake Gopnik (April 28, 2020). Warhol. Ecco. p. 1085. ISBN 978-0-06-229840-9.
- ^ "Art Critic Blake Gopnik Named Leon Levy Fellow for His Ambitious Andy Warhol Biography". Artnet. April 22, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Warhol". Penguin Books UK. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Januszczak, Waldemar (February 16, 2020). "Warhol by Blake Gopnik review — the truth about the pop art pioneer". The Sunday Times. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Warhol". Penguin Books UK. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Warhol by Blake Gopnik". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Warhol by Blake Gopnik, narrated by Graham Halstead". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Book Marks reviews of Warhol by Blake Gopnik". Book Marks. Literary Hub. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "Warhol by Blake Gopnik". Kirkus Reviews. December 2, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Warhol by Blake Gopnik". Publishers Weekly. November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Indiana, Gary (June 2020). "Always Leave Them Wanting Less". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Sante, Lucy (May 3, 2020). "Andy Warhol, Superstar". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Hughes, Kathryn (February 22, 2020). "Warhol by Blake Gopnik review – sex, religion and overtaking Picasso". The Guardian. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Stephen (April 22, 2020). "Review: Was Andy Warhol a saint or scourge, genius or dolt? A new biography befits a great life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Lewis, Roger (February 15, 2020). "Warhol: A Life as Art by Blake Gopnik review — the triumph of a tiny talent". The Times. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Green, Dominic (April 20, 2020). "'Warhol' Review: Nothing Like the Real Thing". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Paul (17 April 2020). "'Warhol' paints the Pop Art icon as the most influential artist of the 20th century". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2023.