Andy Warhol has been a household name for generations, and today would have been his 86th birthday. He's remembered as being the grandfather of the pop art movement, having a lively, party-filled studio ("The Factory") full of friends and drugs, and for generally giving no fucks about the way things had been done in the art world before him.
Beyond his incredible, game-changing artistic abilities, Warhol is also remembered for his personality. He said an equal amount of inspiring and questionable things in his lifetime, many of which he recorded in his famous book, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. Whether you're a Warhol fan or not, his point of view is pretty intriguing. Read his quotes about art, life, and death with The 18 Best Things Andy Warhol Ever Said.
“I’m afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning.”
“Being born is like being kidnapped. And then sold into slavery. People are working every minute. The machinery is always going. Even when you sleep.”
“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”
“When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships.”
“I had a lot of dates but I decided to stay home and dye my eyebrows.”
“Sometimes people let the same problem make them miserable for years when they could just say, 'So what.'”
“During the 1960s, I think, people forgot what emotions were supposed to be. And I don't think they've ever remembered.”
“The President has so much good publicity potential that hasn't been exploited. He should just sit down one day and make a list of all the things that people are embarrassed to do that they shouldn't be embarrassed to do, and then do them all on television.”
“If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it.”
“They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
“The most beautiful thing in Tokyo is McDonald's. The most beautiful thing in Stockholm is McDonald's. The most beautiful thing in Florence is McDonald's. Peking and Moscow don't have anything beautiful yet.”
“I don't want to be smart, because being smart makes you depressed.”
“After being alive, the next hardest work is having sex.”
“I thought that young people had more problems than old people…Then I looked around and saw that everybody who looked young had young problems and that everybody who looked old had old problems.”
“It would be very glamorous to be reincarnated as a great big ring on Liz Taylor’s finger.”
“The only time I ever want to be something is outside a party so I can get in.”
“Dying is the most embarrassing thing that can ever happen to you, because someone’s got to take care of all your details.”
“I really do live for the future, because when I'm eating a box of candy, I can't wait to taste the last piece.”
