.png)
1960s, a young Andy Warhol arrives to conquer the city of New York from one of the working-class neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. The rest is history, the story of the most famous American artist of the 20th century. A new series launched by Netflix takes us back to the New York of the '60s, '70s and '80s to tell us about Warhol through the words of his diaries (the first-person narration is reconstructed through a voice created with the help of AI).
The series, which develops in six episodes, tells about Andy's life, his relationships, the ups and downs of his career and his personal events, but also about the environments in which the Andy Warhol "persona" was created. A decisive role is played by the Factory, the artist's studio and its 3 locations.
The first, the Silver Factory, was Warhol's studio on the fifth floor of 231 E. 47th Street, where from 1962 to 1968 Warhol entertained and put to work a real community of artists and creative people of all kinds and types. All of Warhol's early films were recorded here and there was no shortage of material to document the interiors.
Designed by Andy's photographer friend Billy Name in the style of his own apartment, the Silver Factory was distinguished by having every wall covered with silver paint, tin foil and fractured mirrors. A very space age look, but also the color of the stars of the moment, and that of the mirror, the ultimate expression of every narcissism. "It was new, it was radical, it was silver and it was POP," these few words from designer Ben Kelly immediately give us an idea of the environment.
Considering the mechanical nature of Andy Warhol's pop art, the name Factory was certainly not selected randomly: here he worked on his famous silkscreens, recorded films, received friends and acquaintances, laying the foundations for the success of the following years.
The name was not accidental also because Warhol was the first to argue that art, like mass industrial products - think of the Campbell's tomato soup can, was a product. And his pop subjects appealed, not so much to elites (or rather, not just to the elites) as to a wider society with a massive impact. In fact, one of the messages of Warhol's pop art of the Factory time is precisely this: just as anyone could own any factory-produced object, anyone could own a Warhol or be on a Warhol.
And what about the Factory’s interiors? The silver factory was one of the first shared lofts: rustic dividing panels created offices and meeting rooms that could be easily revolutionized when there was a film recording, or a big party in honor of Andy. Silver was everywhere. Not that it was Warhol's favorite color, but because it was the color of the moment, the color of the stars and a reflection of America's space ambitions at the time. The large semi-circular red sofa standed out for its uniqueness, an iconic piece almost as iconic as the artist's colorful paintings.
In 1968 Warhol moved to the sixth floor of the Decker Building, a building that overlooked 33 Union Square West (1968-1973). The look is much more business oriented and the more traditional furnishings mark the end of Warhol's legendary Factory 60s.
860 Broadway at the north end of Union Square (1974-1984), was the last Factory location. This space was much larger than the previous buildings, but there was much less going on and by 1984, the Factory concept ended up being put aside. Instead, Warhol bought the Edison Building on East 33rd Street. This was where he established his studio and office, as well as Interview, the magazine he founded in 1969.
A source of inspiration for generations, the Factory was a representation of the New York of that time, but its decor style inspires interior designers and trendsetters still today.
