In the future everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes.
The man who could see into the future of The X Factor, Real Housewives, Come Dine With Me (insert your best or worst Reality Show here) was born on the 6th of August 1928. Or was he? For years there was confusion about exactly where and when he was born. After all he once said “I’d prefer to remain a mystery, I never give my background and, anyway, I make it all up different every time I’m asked.”
It doesn't really matter whether we have the right date, what matters is that we do celebrate one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
There's lots of stuff to read about Warhol and his art but for a real sense of the man you can't go past A: A Novel a book he 'wrote' himself. Actually it's transcripts of taped conversations he had with one of the Factory Superstars. And it's hilarious, although calling it a novel is probably a bit of a stretch. It has been called Warhol's Ulysses; at least I did manage to finish it, something I have never achieved with James Joyce's Ulysses.
Interest in Warhol doesn't wane; the latest trend is to pair him with other artists who don't seem to be a natural match but turn out to be once the clever curators explain it all. Love is Enough is a show that looked at the similarities between Warhol and William Morris - repetition and celebrity apparently.
Next year there will be a big show at the NGV in Melbourne of Warhol and Ai Wei Wei. They share a liking for cats, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.
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