In many ways Warhol refined and expanded the idea of what it means to be an artist. Warhol frequently took on the position of a producer, rather than a creator - this is true not only of his work as a painter (he had assistants do much of the work of producing his paintings), it is true of his film-making and commercial enterprises as well. He liked to coin an idea and then oversee or delegate its execution. As he refined this element of his work The Factory evolved from an atelier into an office. He became (and still is) the public face of a company, and a brand.
He founded the gossip magazine Interview, a stage for celebrities he "endorsed" and a business staffed by his friends. He collaborated with others on all of his books (some of which were written with Pat Hackett.) He adopted the young painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the band The Velvet Underground, presenting them to the public as his latest interest, and collaborating with them. One might even say that he produced people (as in the Warholian "Superstar" and the Warholian portrait). He endorsed products, appeared in commercials, and made frequent celebrity guest appearances on television shows and in films (he appeared in everything from Love Boat to Saturday Night Live and the Richard Pryor movie, Dynamite Chicken).
In this respect Warhol was a fan of "Art Business" and "Business Art" - he, in fact, wrote about his interest in thinking about art as business in The Philosophy of Andy Warhol from A to B and Back Again. This was a radical new stance, as artists traditionally positioned themselves against commercialism. Warhol and other pop-artists helped redefine the artist's position as professional, commercial, and popular. He did this using methods, imagery and talents that were (or at least seemed to be) available to everyone. Perhaps that has been the most meaningful result of (his) Pop Art: a philosophical and practical incorporation of art into popular culture and society, and art offered to us as a product of that society.
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Andy was right about making Art and Money. the so-called Mythos (myth) of the Starving Artist, is only the results of the Artist either not knowing how to Promote, Publicize, or properly Market their ART . The goal is Making Money making loyal , life-long customers. There are peop!e who treat Art as if it was a Hobby. If the donor change their attitudes a d perspectives, Art will simply be a foolish endeavor. Sadly, some Artists make these disaster decicions. I, However, need and want to make lots of Money. Artists are all to often thought of being bizar, weird, eccentrics, mentally ill, and an entire catalogue of negative impressions about Artists! All the Arts are more important and valuable, than most Americans realize. Why? Stupidith. Long after a So called Civilization passes away, it is The Arts that remains and endure. So everyone who devalues The Arts, is just a Fool!!!.
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