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Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928, was an American artist and a central figure in the "Pop art" movement. He became famous primarily for his paintings, but also for his films, books, and influences on music. He was a public figure known for his involvement in the “Factory” scene of New York. A controversial figure during his lifetime, he passes away on February 22, 1987.

At eight years old, the young Warhol contracted “St. Vitus' Dance”, an abnormal involuntary muscle movement disorder. This caused the pigmentation of his skin to appear blotchy, and as a child, he developed a fear of hospitals and doctors, and became a hypochondriac. Due to his bed-ridden childhood, his schoolmates declared him an outcast, so he bonded strongly with his mother as a child. In this bed-ridden state, he would often listen to the radio, draw, and collect photos of Hollywood stars. Looking back at the years he spent confined to his bedroom, Warhol described this period of time as pivotal in the development of his personality and his artistic practices.

He moved to New York City in 1949 and began a career in advertising and magazine illustrations. During the 1950s, he became known mainly for his advertisement artworks, including amusing ink drawings of shoes. At the same time, the introduction of the vinyl record, Hi-Fi and stereophonic recordings were creating a revolution for the music industry. Warhol has hired by RCA Records to design album covers and promotional materials for bands.

By the early 1960s, Warhol had made a name for himself as a commercial illustrator. His art consisted mainly of monoprints, a technique which he applied in much of his early art. Despite most artists of this time working in commercial art discreetly, Warhol was so successful that his profile as an illustrator seemed to undermine his efforts to be taken seriously as an artist.

At this time, Warhol tried to submit some of his...