Warhol Before Pop

Visiting the Andy Warhol Museum, I learned some surprising insights about the formative years of this influential artist. Before Warhol became famous for his Campbell soup can paintings, he was a very successful commercial illustrator. Moving to New York in 1949, after graduating from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology with a degree in pictorial design, Warhol rapidly rose among the ranks of the most sought-after artists. His whimsical style was popular, emphasizing wit and creativity over technical ability. By 1952, he had an impressive roster of clients including magazines, record labels and the fashion industry. An important client was I. Miller & Sons, a shoe manufacturer and retailer. Warhol created much-lauded large-format advertisements for them which appeared in The New York Times during the mid- to late-1950’s. As an indication of his success, Warhol was earning $65,000 a year by 1959. That’s over $550,000 a year in today’s money.