5 comments about Famous For 15 Minutes: My Years with Andy Warhol.

1. Thought the book was a terrrific read some 6 years ago after meeting Ultra and getting to know her personally. She will make a return to NYC in October 2000, about the same time that her book is being optioned for movie rights. I will guarantee that she will open up more for the movie script -- I just know it! Watch out world Ultra is back.



2. Even though I did read the disclaimer at the beginning of the book stating: all conversations are reconstructed and are not intended, nor shall they be construed, as verbatim quotes......I at times had a problem with Ultra Violets stories. Of course this is the type of book that we read inviting name dropping, at times though I do not know what to believe, such as the part that her and some friends were on the way to pick up Janis Joplin to attend a show and they found her dead in her room. This may be true however it seemed like the worst kind of name dropping ever......tacky, tacky, tacky. I think she was fortunate in meeting so many exciting people and I understand when you associate with great artists they at times give you paintings or sell paintings below dealer price..., but perhaps she should hold on to those memories and valuable pieces of art for a rainy day cause her 15 minutes seem to be over a long time ago.



3. I have re-read this book many times, & must admit that, even though I enjoyed it immensely, it must be approached as fiction. Ms. Violet (Real name, Isabelle Collin Dufresne) tells many stories, most of which are more than likely outrageously exaggerated, if not blatantly un-true. It's not that I think she intentionally lied, I feel she truly believes all these events actually happened as she tells them. And that can be entertaining, in a ditzy kind of way... the facts be [ignored]! Truth may be stranger than fiction, but embellishment sometimes reveals more, if you read between the lines. And, with all the drugs and round the clock lifestyle that Ultra and the Gang lived, it's not surprising that her brain got a little damp in the process. While her fame barely lasted 15 minutes, she is a good example of Warhols "Superstars", all of whom had little if any talent or experience, that not being their goal. Instant fame, with none of the work involved, was their goal. And their movies, while being a mesmerizing document of those personalities and that time, in and of themselves are perfectly awful. Her book also has the undercurrent of sour -grapes resentment that I almost always detect in books about those associated with Warhol. All this aside, I still found this interestingly styled book an informative and fun read of that crazy time with Andy and his caravan of misfits, each of whom vied for that fifteen minutes.



4. Ultra Violet's writing style is so pleasing.
   
   I still have the 1988 hardcover.
   
   She doesn't miss a speck of detail as she writes about her rebellious childhood in France as though she was eleven again.
   
   Her descriptions of Andy Warhol and his crowd is very descriptive and well written. Although she may mention some of their flaws, she does so lovingly, appreciatively and sweetly.
   
   She then details a problem in her health, which was miraculously cured without medical intervention and in this state of health she revisits her family in France, returning to a suspicious welcome by family members.
   
   You've got to read it .maybe several times.
   
   The photos are great too, and so are her summaries of what's happened to all of the Warhol crowd at the end of the book.
   
   Five stars isn't enough !



5. This was an entertaining read. I am fascinated by the Factory crowd and especially Andy, so I found it insightful to get another perspective. If you want a broader perspective read Factory Made by Steven Watson, or Popism by Andy Warhol and Pat Hackett which also gives you the added humor.
   Famous for Fifteen is better read as a follow up to the others. I find Ultra Violet fascinating, although perhaps a tad bit bitter about her experience with Andy. I understand that many people feel Andy is responsible for the downfall of Edie Sedgwick. But we have to remember this was the 60's and interventions and rehabs were not as common as today. People accepted drug use as part of a the counter culture without fully understanding the disastrous effects. Yes I believe Andy Warhol was
   a narcissus. And he was probably a bit autistic. But he was not a movie agent or a drug counselor. He was an artist. He reflecting society unto itself. He should be remembered as the amazing artist that he was and leave it at that.

2 comments about Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter.

1. The construction of your average everyday children's book biography is a complex proposition. You have to examine your biographical subject and determine their kid-friendly appeal. If, for example, you are doing a biography of an obscure Pope of limited charm, you may wish to reconsider the task at hand. If, on the other hand, your subject is the infinitely amusing, not to say fascinating, Andy Warhol then you may have better luck. Next, this may shock you, but not all children are the same age. What age group are you writing for? It sounds backwards, but it's sometimes more difficult to write for younger rather than older children. Author Susan Goldman Rubin, however, has taken the challenge and has fashioned a book that someone under the age of 11 might find of interest. Finally, your pictures. With very few exceptions, young kids are not going to pay your book a whole lot of mind unless you find some cool and colorful photos/art with which to spot your book. In this sense, Ms. Rubin has not been entirely fulfilling. And so, "Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter" is a great read and will certainly have young `uns grabbing for it, but it could have been a bit more forthcoming with the pretty pretty pictures of his work. Just my two cents.
   
   He was born Ondrej Warhola in 1928 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Slovakian parents. Never the most athletic of children (at age eight he came down with rheumatic fever), Andy loved comics, paper dolls, and coloring books. Once well, he started going to art classes and it was clear he had found his calling. Readers watch as Andy goes to school, moves to New York, and starts drawing shoes for Glamour magazine. Real pop art was soon to follow as Andy challenged what made something important and worthy of consideration. Can a comic be art if you blow up a frame? What about something as simple as a soup can? What is the worth of celebrity? By showing Andy's life and the choices he made, Rubin is able to show us a man, his unique style, and why that man and style were important to the world.
   
   Rubin takes certain steps to make the book kid-friendly right from the start. The almost picture book size of this ten by ten inch title makes it clear from the get-go that kids who pick this puppy up won't have to contest with any 500+ page tomes. The text then pops out at the viewer on top of colored squares that change their hue with the turn of every page. The author also knows that kids like to read about famous people AS kids, so we get a nice glimpse of Andy's younger years. Mind you, there are only 48 pages in this book and 15 of those are just a Time Line, Glossary, Source Notes, References and Resources, Illustration Credits, and an Author's Note. Now one of my favorite books about Andy Warhol was, "Uncle Andy's", by James Warhola. In that book, Andy Warhol's actual nephew recounted how he used to visit his favorite uncle once a year and discover through him what "art" was. Rubin doesn't mention this detail, but does show and tell about Andy's love of kids. As the book says at one point, " `Children were drawn to Andy like a comic character with his wig askew, glasses and ... jeans,' remembered Bob Colacello who worked for him for twelve years. `Andy loved to talk to kids. He found it interesting.'" And with this book, kids can find Andy interesting right back again.
   
   Here is what I loved. I loved that at the end of the book there was a small section entitled, "Some Museums Where You Will Find Work By Andy Warhol." Why doesn't every single biography of an artist DO this? It is infinitely more useful than some of the other stuff they cram into the back of children's books. Just the same, there is the occasional peculiarity. The Time Line is a bit of an extravagance here. More space filler than anything else, each date included is huge and the nine pages of Time Line after Time Line seem excessive. I would have loved to have seen a lot more of Andy's work in the book too. Just exchange 8 of those Time Line pages for a couple portions dedicated solely to displaying some cool Warhol work and I'm there. Otherwise, it rankles with the rest of the book.
   
   The other day I covered three tables in my library's Story Hour Room with books published in the year 2006. At 4 o'clock that day I led in my homeschooler bookgroup, a small collection of kids between the ages of nine and twelve. I told them that we'd be doing something a little different that week. Instead of everyone reading the same book, the kids would have a chance to grab whichsoever book most tickled their fancy. They'd take it, read it over break, and return it to me the next week. Some kids snatched up Susan Cooper's, "Victory". Others took great pleasure in reading Janet Taylor Lisle's, "Black Duck". And sure as shooting, one of my more reluctant readers found a great deal to love in "Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter". It's a lovable book. There are things that I would have changed about it, but that doesn't make it any less of a wonder. If you're going to have one children's biography of Andy Warhol, let it be this one. Definitely a keeper.



2. Andy Warhol took ordinary objects from daily life and transformed them into big paintings and art, becoming known as a leader of the American Pop art movement. ANDY WARHOL: POP ARTIST surveys his career as a commercial artist and his perspective on painting, and is a perfect pick for kids in grades 4-6 who are receiving introductions to modern artists. Bright color photos of his art accompany clear explanations of his style and approach.

No comments about In the Power of Painting: Warhol, Polke, Richter, Twombly,.

No comments about Archiving Warhol: Writings & Photographs.

No comments about Andy Warhol Happy Butterfly Day File Folders.

4 comments about Andy Warhol: The Day the Factory Died.

1. An 80's time capsule wrapped inside a Warhol designed frontspiece inside a bible... Andy would be proud. Besides the photography (printing seems meticulous), there are letters to Andy from various media figures and insightful essays. If you think about modern art at all, you should own this book.



2. The book is produced beautifully and has some very strong images. The idea and the whole concept of the book combining images with letters of Warhol friends writing about him is unique. A must have for all art and photography lovers.



3. A long awaited tome, this is a really quite perfect little time capsule. Von Hohenberg captured the elite of NYC at Andy Warhol's last "happening" -- his memorial service -- and the letters that each famous person wrote are an excellent complement to the photos.
   It is beautifully presented -- very much like a hip little Smythson diary chronicling the era. Usually, a book about a memorial service does not grab me as a must-have, but this one is!
   Fun to read, fun to look at --- fashion, New York society, the art world -- it's all there in this elegantly crafted book from one of my favorite fine art photographers.



4. I have known the author/photographer and his family for many years and was amazed at the quality of this projetc. Warhol would have liked it. I hope there are not too many younger people who are not aware of what all this means (Warhol) it shaped a lot of things that today we take for granted.

No comments about Factory Work: Warhol, Wyeth and Basquiat.

No comments about Andy Warhol Christmas Angels Christmas Cards.

No comments about Andy Warhol Shoe Christmas Cards.

3 comments about Andy Warhol: Red Books.

1. Andy Warhol Red Books is a coffee table book that's actually several books in one --- and a set that silences all competitors. These are copies of the Polaroids Andy took, neatly bound in red covers and bound with plastic spiral bindings --- 11 mini books in all with the twelfth (black) volume containing the pertinent names and dates of the photographs, plus an introduction by the internationally-renowned photographer Francois-Marie Banier. It is Banier who captures the allure of these instant photos best: "In his Polaroids, in those seemingly lacquered little pictures, I saw at once the cry of frantic and reckless youth, lost in a pseudo-civilized world. Each of these Polaroids goes one step further, telling us, from the land of Mickey Mouse: you are all Andy Warhol characters." From 1969 to 1975, celebrities (from Christopher Isherwood to Mick Jagger, Caroline Kennedy to Rudolph Nureyev, Rex Reed to Sylvia Miles), drag queens and assorted Warholian characters are captured crisply, realistically, and above all, affectionately. Owning the Red Books is (almost) like owning one of the more bizarre time capsules of the twentieth century.



2. ok, so, Im a huge andy warhol fan, biiiig time, so I own lots of books, this one, ahmm itsss amazing, its likee u can see a real part of his life, personal stuff, u can see what the 70's were all about, amazing, buy it!!



3. I bought this set for my 12 year old daughter who LOVES Andy. Needless to say, she got quite an education from these books. I think there needs to be a label or warning in the description that states there are some questionable images in this set. With that being said, I felt that I got an entirely new experience out these books than some of the other Warhol books. I decided to keep these for myself and will give them back to my daughter when she is a few years older.