Unique pop artist Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola (1928–1987) on this day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of Czechoslovakian immigrants. Warhol celebrated innovative artistic expression and the idea of life as an art.

“I am a deeply superficial person,” said Warhol, who began his career as a commercial artist.

With a passion for popular culture and a style distinctly his own, he worked from his studio, the Factory, creating mass-produced silk-screen prints with altered colors to make each piece unique.

“If everyone's not a beauty, then no one is,” he explained.

Known for his iconic soup cans and portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol also painted Jacqueline Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Carter, Albert Einstein, and Elizabeth Taylor. His work redefined fame and image.

“I'd prefer to remain a mystery. I never like to give my background and, anyway, I make it all up different every time I'm asked,” he admitted.

Warhol’s most famous line, “Everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes,” became a cultural prophecy. And his truth still echoes: change doesn’t just happen. You make it happen.

“Pop art,” he explained, “is a way of liking things.”