"Andy Warhol (1928-1987) remains an icon of the 20th century and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement. He also was an obsessive collector of things large and small, ordinary and quirky. Since 1994, The Andy Warhol Museum has studied and safeguarded the artist's archive encompassing hundreds of thousands of these objects, at turns strange, amusing, and poignant. From this array, many of these items have been researched and described in this book for the first time. Written by Matt Wrbican, the foremost authority on Warhol's personal collection, A is for Archive features curated selections from this collection, shedding light on the artist's work and motivations, as well as on his personality and private life. The volume is organized alphabetically, honoring Warhol's own use of a whimsical alphabetical structure: 'A is for Autograph' (a selection of signed objects, many of which influenced his most popular works), 'F is for Fashion' (featuring his collections of cowboy boots, neckties, jackets and wigs), 'S is for Stamp' (works of art by Warhol and others relating to stamps and mailed items), and 'Z is for Zombie' (a grouping of photographs and ephemera of Warhol in various disguises: drag, robot, zombie, clown). The book also features an insightful essay by renowned art critic and Warhol biographer Blake Gopnik. For the myriad fans of Warhol and his quixotic world, this volume is essential and unforgettable."-- Provided by publisher.
Foreword / Blake Gopnik -- Editor's preface / Abigail Franzen-Sheehan -- Matt Wrbican and the early days of the archive / Neil Printz -- A to Z / Matt Wrbican. A is for autograph ; B is for box ; C is for Canis Major ; D is for Duchamp ; E is for Edie ; F is for fashion ; G is for Gretchen ; H is for headlines ; I is for illusions ; J is for Julia ; K is for Kronk ; L is for loose lips and LPs ; M is for mead ; N is for nightlife ; O is for opening ; P is for phoney ; Q is for quick ; R is for rat ; S is for stamp ; T is for tooth fairy ; U is for underground ; V is for Viva ; W is for wiretapping ; X is for x-rated ; Y is for Yves ; Z is for zombie -- List of Illustrations -- Director's Afterword -- Acknowledgments -- Index of Names -- Credits.