Customer Reviews

Andy Warhol Pop Box: Fame, the Factory, and the Father of American Pop Art

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There are many books on Warhol, but how many ways to inexpensively share in his objects? There are posters (warhol.org has qute a few) but for the price of 1 poster you can have this box.

I'd already read about 10 books on Warhol before I bought this box. I learned a lot but also became confused: Warhol did so many things. A good way to realize that is to lay the contents of this box out around you.

I'm more than satisfied with the number and quality of the reproductions. It seems well worth the list price and so is even a better deal at any discount.

So what about the selection of these objects? Seems to have been made to highlight Warhol's diversity. Nothing to do with his Interview magazine, but objects pointing to his paintings, his movies, his use of reproduction including silkscreens , photo booths, his exhibitions, his closeness to his mother, his being shot,his promotion of the Velvet Underground, his work on album covers, his association with celebrities, and a reminder not to expect everyone to like you (a cold rejection letter from MOMA). And, ever the business man, reminded by stationary and a business card (both of whose lettering was done by his mom).

So is that enough?

Some of these objects you can carry or wear, others you can hang up, some postcards you can send, stationary you can write on. If you do use some of the objects, consider buying a second Warhol Pop Box: you can keep one intact and make use of the objects in the other.

I've had mine 2 weeks and it gives me a good feeling, much warmer than I get from books. It took me a day or two to begin appreciating it. I've been going through it every day, right now it's like a candy store for me.

Creativity is hardly encouraged in our society, so why not identify with Andy by learning about him and from him? The contents of this box may help lift you out of a rut and into a life of heightened possibilities. Or something like that.

This is the second Chronicle box of printed ephemera I have and it suffers from the same problems as the first, 'The World War II Collection' (ISBN 081183431X) namely the reluctance of the publisher's to go the extra mile and make the contents look as authentic as possible. Of the twenty items included nine of them should have been line and tone combines for best results.

There are some interesting items though, the one I like best is the 1962 mini poster for an Andy show at the Los Angeles Ferus Gallery, showing a Campbell's soup can and printed on thick paper with a deckle edged bottom, it is good enough to frame. The three postcards showing the original source material for the paintings, Female Movie Star Composite (1962) Self Portrait (1964) and Flowers (1967) are good examples of the visual input that Warhol used to create his unique work. There are three letters included, one from MOMA in 1956 rejects Andy's offer of his drawing Shoe, it was signed by Alfred Barr. I wonder if he regretted, in later years, turning down this gift? Another, a letter from Mick Jagger in 1969, discusses the Stones album Sticky Fingers which Andy designed and Jagger ends one paragraph with "...please write back saying how much money you would like".

Apart from the less than authentic look to some of the items this is an interesting box of Warhol 'stuff', a thirty-two page booklet explains each item. Also included is a pass (good to December 31 2005) to The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. BTW Included is a self-inking stamp of a cow's head with the words Factory Edition, be careful with this as it will most likely leak, as mine did but it didn't cause any damage to the other items.

I just love this little collection of "stuff" from Andy Warhol, because that is what he was all about-- "stuff!" I have thought about framing some of the items inside, but it's fun to pull the box out once in a while and just look through it. It's a real glimpse into his goofy, eccentric life and the things that were important to him. I have his diaries and many of his books, too, but this is really fun to have.

I saw this at an urban outfitters store, and brought it a couple of days later. I have always had a fascination with the 1960s, and everything that came out during that decade, so I thought this was a cool thing for me to get. It contains, letters, postcards, a stamp, articles, a poster, a book explaining each item, and much more. Its fun to dig through it, once in a while. I would recommend this if you are a Warhol fan.

I recently gifted this box to an extremely knowledgeable fan of Andy Warhol and the Factory, who gleefully assures me of the excellence of its content. The box includes an explanatory booklet for the uninitiated (like me), which illuminates the significance of each scrap of paper and memorabilia. Said memorabilia includes replicas of post cards from Warhol to his mother, a letter from Mick Jagger, artwork, and other Warhol ephemera. It's quite fun and interesting, even to someone who lacks a previous base of Warhol knowledge.

Andy Warhol... Love him or hate him, you have to admit he was a major influence on Art and Pop Culture in the 20th Century. This is less a "book" than it is a look back into a crazy, wonderful time. It is simply a box of "STUFF" probably not unlike one of the famed "Time Capsules" created by the artist himself. The thing that helps make this so special is that the collection of artifacts inside are made to resemble the original items so exactly, you feel as they really ARE original. From the pages of The New York Post, to the Campbell's Soup Button/Ribbon which was given out at a Gallery Exhibition, to postcards written to Mom from around the world. Also included is a four strip self portrait from an automatic Photo Booth. This is sure to be a conversation piece for young,old and all in between. A sure winner for any coffee table.

If you're looking for something of substance about the life & artwork of Andy Warhol or even just a time capsule that captures some of the essence of the Silver Factory era, this isn't it. This "Pop Box" is really just an assortment of less-than-authentic looking reproductions of Warhol's personal correspondence & various other flashy gewgaws, all of whose novelty wears thin within seconds after viewing them. Maybe on an artistic level this collection might have worked if the publisher had made more of an effort in trying to make the contents look authentic rather than just settling for the cheesy looking knock-offs that we were presented with. On the other hand I do think this collection would make a nice introduction for youngsters (maybe combined with Lou Reed & John Cale's excellent Warhol tribute CD "Songs for Drella") who are just starting to learn about Andy Warhol and Pop Art, but that's about it.