Andy Warhol and the Can That Sold the World

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After 32 Soup Cans, neither America nor the art world would ever be the same. Gary Indiana offers a witty and opinionated biography of a momentous work of art--and its deeply troubled creator. In the summer of 1962, Andy Warhol unveiled 32 Soup Cans in his first solo exhibition at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles--and sent the art world reeling. The responses ran from incredulity to outrage; the poet Taylor Mead described the exhibition as "a brilliant slap in the face to America." The exhibition put Warhol on the map--and transformed American culture forever. Almost single-handedly, Warhol had collapsed the centuries-old distinction between "high" and "low" culture, and created a new and radically modern aesthetic. In Andy Warhol and the Can That Sold the World, the dazzlingly versatile critic Gary Indiana draws on interviews with many members of Warhol's Factory, as well as his own personal recollections of Warhol himself, to tell the story of the genesis and impact of this iconic work of art. With energy, wit, and tremendous perspicacity, Indiana recovers the exhilaration and controversy of the Pop Art Revolution--and the brilliant, tormented, and profoundly narcissistic figure at its vanguard.From Publishers WeeklyThe latest from cultural critic and author Indiana (Utopia's Debris) explores the legacy of Andy Warhol through his most famous and, arguably, groundbreaking work, 1962's Campbell's Soup Cans, a group of 32 20"x16" paintings of the ubiquitous red-and-white canned staple. Beginning with a brief look at Warhol's impoverished childhood, Indiana focuses in on the creation and impact of the famed Soup Cans, resulting is an exhaustive report on the Pop Art movement and its relationship to contemporary culture, featuring vibrant commentary on the way a single piece can stand in for an entire oeuvre. Indiana is highly knowledgeable regarding the art world and Warhol's work, and can assume a similarly sophisticated level of understanding in his reader; as such, he will probably leave casual fans behind with dashed-off discussion of the art scene at large. For those already fluent in the man or the movement, Indiana's in-depth look at Soup Cans is a welcome refresher on the power of a single vision not just to make a remarkable career, but to recast the world in a new light. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ReviewNewsweek“Engrossing”Buffalo News“Elegant and impressive...[a] witty, smart, near-definitive consideration of Warhol.”San Diego Tribune“Gary Indiana’s Andy Warhol and the Can That Sold the World is a fresh portrait of the artist...No one has dissected Warhol’s complex personality better. And no one has written more concisely and accessibly about him.”Lincoln Journal Star“Heartily recommend[ed]...I’ve got a shelf of Warhol books - biographies, essays, exhibition catalogs - and I’ve seen dozens of exhibitions of his work. Indiana’s book added something to my knowledge and understanding of Warhol, which is saying something.”Baltimore City Paper“A thoughtful look at the late Pop artist’s defining work...in narrowing his focus, the author locates and captures Warhol’s essence.”Liberty Press“Indiana is able to give a fresh and new perspective on one of America’s most enigmatic 20th-century artistic figures, beyond any other biography heretofore.”