The Shooting of Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was a controversial figure, both in the public in general and in the art scene. But it was not among Warhol-art haters the artist would meet his greatest enemy. In 1968, Valerie Solanas, a woman well known to the artist, shot Andy Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya at Warhol's studio.

Seriously wounded
Amaya got away with only minor injuries. Warhol, on the other hand, was seriously wounded and had to spend quite a long time at the hospital. By opening his chest and massaging his heart the doctors were able to save Warhol's life. The rest of his life the artist suffered both physically and mentally from the attack, and the episode also inspired his artistic work (hvilke verk)

There has been a lot of speculation on why Valerie Solanas choose to shot Andy Warhol. Solanas life and position in the art-scene revolving The Factory (Warhol's famous studio) was investigated in the movie 'I Shot Andy Warhol' - a good source for thoose interested in the subject. Upon police investigation Solanas told that Warhol 'had too much control over my life'. Solanas was sentenced to 3 years under the control of the department of corrections.

'Up Your Ass'
But exactly why did Solanas choose to shot Andy Warhol? In 1966 Solanas wrote a theater piece called 'Up Your Ass' which was about a man hating female prostitue. Warhol liked the title and agreed to read the piece. However, he didn't like the piece itself and therefore he didn't bother to contact Solanas again. In the meantime Solanas wrote her most famous literary piece - the S.C.U.M manifest (Society For Cutting up Men).

In 1967 Solanas started to contact Andy Warhol asking for the return of her manuscript. But Warhol had lost the script and when Solanas asked for a compensation he refused.

Still she got a few minor roles in some of Warhol's films and for a while she continued to stay at The Factory. But on June 3, 1968, Solanas shot Andy Warhol three times. The two first times she missed, but the third shot hit Warhol in the chest and both his lungs were punctured.

Silver bullets
It is said that Solanas compared Warhol to a vampire and therefore spray painted the bullets with silver colored paint (Warhol was actually a quite pale and anemic person). Right after the incident Solanas confessed the shootings. The reason she only got three years for the crime was probably because Warhol didn' want to be a witness in court. After her three years in confinment she was released in 1971.

'I Shot Andy Warhol'
The rest of her life Solanas went in and out of different mental hospitals. In 1988, just one year after Andy Warhol's death Solanas was found dead in a hotel room in San Francisco.

The shooting of Andy Warhol was a subject in the movie 'I Shot Andy Warhol' (1996).

Author: David Johansen Auby

About the author:
David Johansen Auby is a writer and a web publisher. Check out www.warholauctions.com for some of my work.

Article source: Free Painting Articles.