As Lenig points out, Andy Warhol's identity was complex, and in this volume he treats Warhol's work broadly, as an "artist, illustrator, author, record producer, director, advertiser, entrepreneur, filmmaker, publisher, sculptor, performance artist, actor, model, and more" (p. 1)... Lenig's analysis is particularly strong when addressing Warhol's interest in folk art, computers, and Native American culture. He discusses amusing artwork, including portraits of pets and a self-portrait of Warhol picking his nose. Though Lenig frames Warhol as a postmodern artist, his writing style is accessible even though he uses theoretical insights from Jean Baudrillard, Brian Eno, Stuart Hall, Charles Jencks, and Guy Debord. This is not a scandalous tell-all biography; it is an intellectual biography. Lenig writes that "those interested in gossip about a dead person who can't respond to rumors and accusations [should] look elsewhere. Here [I am] concerned with achievements that are distinctive and render the uniqueness of the artist" (p. 201). Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.
— Choice Reviews
Is there anything new to say about Andy Warhol? Well, it turns out there is. The Many Lives of Andy Warhol connects previously unconnected dots and examines whys and wherefores never before examined, to give us an even clearer understanding of the man who can arguably be called America’s most American artist.
— Gene Wisniewski, author of The Art of Looking at Art
When we think of Andy Warhol, we imagine Campbell soup cans and Marilyn Monroe. Stuart Lenig shatters that limited lens and opens up a world of Andy Warhols: film-maker, illustrator, and more. The Many Lives of Andy Warhol will have you constantly saying, ‘I didn't know that!’
— Jeffrey Smith, author of Scoundrels, Cads, and Other Great Artists