Popism

POPism: The Warhol '60s is a 1980 memoir by the American artist Andy Warhol, co-written with longtime collaborator Pat Hackett. The book chronicles Warhol's life, work, and the cultural milieu surrounding his studio, the Factory, during the 1960s. It offers a firsthand account of the emergence of Pop Art, the making of his underground films, and the personalities who shaped the era.

POPism: The Warhol '60s

First edition cover
Author	Andy Warhol
Language	English
Publisher	Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Publication date	1980
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	310
ISBN	978-0-15-173095-7

Synopsis

Beginning in 1960, Popism looks back at the decade in which he emerged as a leading figure of the Pop Art movement and developed a circle of friends consisting of artists, performers, and scenemakers at his studio known as the Factory. The book documents the production of his early silkscreen paintings and experimental films, his relationships with Warhol superstars such as Edie Sedgwick, Ondine, Viva, and Candy Darling, and his growing presence in New York's downtown cultural scene. The narrative also covers the broader social and artistic shifts of the era, culminating with the attempt on his life in 1968. Blending anecdote, observation, and commentary, Popism serves as both an insider account of the 1960s avant-garde and a primary source on the development of Warhol's artistic identity.

Publication

Popsim was published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in March 1980. Bob Colacello, editor of Interview magazine, hosted a dinner party for the launch of the book at La Boite in New York City on March 24, 1980.^[1] The guests included Henry Geldzahler, Ahmet Ertegun, Richard Gere, Sylvester Stallone, Bianca Jagger, Debbie Harry, and Paloma Picasso.^[2]

To coincide with the release of the Edie Sedgwick biopic Factory Girl (2006), Harvest Books—an imprint of Harcourt—issued a new edition of the book in 2006.^[3] In 2007, another edition was published by Penguin Modern Classics along with an Ebook.^[4]

Critical reception

Ben Pleasants of the Los Angeles Times noted that "'Popism: The Warhol '60s is not a book about turbulence in America, or upheaval in our cities or even experimentation in the arts; instead, it focuses on the chic gossip of the art crowd of Manhattan during that era."^[5]

David Dawson of the Gannett News Service wrote: "He does not deeply analyze himself or his movement, but the narration eventually piles up a definition of Popism as celebration of the most silly and least enduring parts of culture. … In a time of examination of the 1960s, this book is an interesting account of the alternative culture that wasn't remembered. The treatment is superficial, but I think that's the point."^[6]

The Miami Herald's Helen L. Kohen wrote: "The essence of Warhol's popism is disintegration, followed immediately by boredom. Though that is not a promising outline for a book, Warhol tackles it, and we must admit the boredom does succeed."^[7]

Thomas Sabulis wrote for The Boston Globe: "It's gossipy and alive, one of the best things you'll ever read about those crazy eight years—Warhol says the '60s ended in 1968. It's a Pop history in wraparound sunglasses and it reads like a dream."^[8]

Sources

• Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1980). POPism: The Warhol '60s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 978-0-15-173095-7.