Fall/Winter 2009

Andy Warhol once noted that everyone will be famous for 15 minutes, and the legendary artist may be right, courtesy of the reality television age. However, Warhol failed to comment much on his own fame. Thanks to an enormous and acclaimed body of work, the man who re-invented celebrity and pop culture will be known in perpetuity.

The Warhol name and artwork will live on thanks in large part to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. It’s the largest museum dedicated to one artist in the world. The quirky and challenging icon passed away in 1987 at 58, but his work refuses to fade into obscurity — more than 8,000 of his art works, including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures, are housed in this airy, bright museum in downtown Pittsburgh.

The artwork also includes an extensive video collection, which features 273 films by Warhol as well as 228 entertaining four-minute screen tests. But the museum isn’t just about Warhol — recording artists perform at the museum, and there are beer tastings and wine appreciation nights.

The Weekend Factory, a studio workshop in which visitors can create art and claim their own 15 minutes of fame alongside artists and educators, is slated for every Saturday and Sunday. It’s an open, collaborative environment designed for all ages.

Warhol, who shocked many and forever altered the face of contemporary art, may be thought of as a New York artist, but he couldn’t deny his Pittsburgh roots. His formative ideas were born in what was an industrial western Pennsylvania town, but now the steel city is blooming into a burg nearly as cosmopolitan as his art.

- State - Pennsylvania

- Type - Historic Tours

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