Andy Warhol (1928–1987, American)
pioneered the development of the screenprint
process by enlarging and transferring
photographic images onto paper and canvas.
The technique enabled the artist to create his
iconic works that integrated mass-media and
advertising images of Campbell’s Soup cans,
Coca-Cola bottles, and faces of celebrities—
many of whom he photographed himself.
Warhol worked in multiple mediums
simultaneously. He made drawings and
used a film camera to spontaneously record
all that caught his attention. He strove to
document every moment of his life, creating a
remarkable visual diary in which he captured
the faces of the rich and famous, the glittering
New York disco scene, his domestic life, and
glimpses of his world travels. He had a love
affair with Polaroids as well as black-andwhite photography that began in 1976, when
he picked up an easy-to-use Minox 35EL
camera—it became his constant companion
until his death at age fifty-eight. In keeping with
his obsessive nature, Warhol made between
60,000 and 100,000 snapshots and Polaroids
in his lifetime.
–Affinities and Outliers: Highlights from the University at Albany Fine Art Collections