JPM Design: Andy Warhol

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Andy Warhol

. . . The artist who needs no introduction in the design world.

When I was in college I took a perspective drawing class where the assignment was to design any room you wanted, with any furniture, any accessories, and any art your heart imagined. Then you had to draw it in 3-D using the one-point perspective method. I don't know about you, but those types of projects (whether they be in school or for a real client) where the budget is endless and you have complete creative control are the absolute hardest! Anyway, I designed a super contemporary space with a huge Andy Warhol Marilyn above the sofa. I think there was a Noguchi coffee table, acrylic zig zag chairs and Nelson pendant lamps in the space as well. (I was obsessed with mid-century modern design back then if you couldn't tell by my selections.) While my personal design style has morphed a bit over the years, one thing hasn't changed; I still adore Andy Warhol art. It's the perfect compliment to any style of room and has withstood the test of time over the last 50 years. Pop art of iconic American objects was his specialty and I love this quote by the artist;

"What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coca-Cola, Liz Taylor drinks Coca-Cola, and just think, you can drink Coca-Cola, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the cokes are the same and all the cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it."