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Lessons

Explore Warhol’s life, artistic practice, and legacy through an extensive archive of free interdisciplinary teaching tools.

In addition to full lessons, we offer Powerpoint presentations and other resources for use in the classroom.

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Lessons

Warhol and Basquiat: Collaboration & Contrast

Create a collaborative artwork in the style of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

A painting with a yellow background by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Basquiat's Native American figures cover text by Warhol which reads PLUG PULLED ON COMA MOM and THE ULTIMATE CURE FOR FAT.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Collaboration, 1984-1985. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.; © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat
1998.1.485

Critical Response

Learn how to critique a work of art using a combination of intuitive and critical responses. In this unit, students explore the difference between informed and uninformed opinions, and how individual tastes and biases can influence the interpretation and judgment of a work of art.

A cartoon showing two monkeys. One is painting a soup can on an easel, and the other is standing behind the first, speaking. The caption reads “Personally, I think you should have stuck with Abstract Expressionism.”

Cartoon (Two monkeys painting a mock Campbell's Soup can), ca. 1964
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Oxidations and Abstraction

Experiment with the effects of acids and bases on copper-based paints.

Three rows of four oxidation paintings. Each painting features a patch of deep blue-green oxidation against a copper background. Some of the paintings near the top of the arrangement also include silver. The paintings in the lower portion of the arrangement tend to be darker.

Andy Warhol, Oxidation, 1978
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.214

Space Fruit and the Color Wheel

Investigate color theory and formal elements in art using Andy Warhol's print series Space Fruit.

This screen print depicts six orange cantaloupes scattered across the image from the bottom left to the top right. Their shadows are green and stretch toward the right edge of the image. The background is blue, and two large, purple rectangles appear behind the fruit, taking up the majority of the negative space.

Andy Warhol, Space Fruit: Still Lifes (Cantaloupes I), 1979
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution Dia Center for the Arts
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
2002.4.19.4

Jackie: Flashbulb Memory Activity

Analyze and discuss how powerful images in history bring back personal memories.

A blue silkscreen print of Jackie Kennedy in profile, looking to the bottom left corner of the image with her hair obscuring her eyes.

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.84

Hammer & Sickle: Interpreting Symbols and Meaning

Compare and contrast powerful cultural symbols and their use in contemporary art.

In this screen print, a hammer enters the frame from the left side of the image. A sickle is situated in the middle of the frame, and both tools are highlighted with red paint. In the background, white brushstrokes are visible. Short, one-sentence description:

Andy Warhol, Hammer and Sickle, 1976
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 1998.1.186

Icon Portraits

Create a pop portrait in Andy Warhol’s style, using photographs of contemporary celebrities.

A screen print of actress Elizabeth Taylor in black ink on a silver background. The black ink has been applied lightly so that patches of the background come through in what would ordinarily be solid areas of the print.

Andy Warhol, Silver Liz [Studio Type], 1963
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.56

Campbell’s Soup: Ode to Food

Compose an ode about your favorite food using illustration and poetry.

An image of a Campbell’s soup can. The label of the tin can is divided in the middle, the top half being red and the bottom white. The name Campbell’s appears in white script on the top half of the label, and chicken noodle appears in red text on the bottom.

35 x 23 1/8 in. (88.9 x 58.7 cm.)

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup I: Chicken Noodle, 1968
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.2393.2

The Pocket Project

In this lesson, students create and discuss unusual self-portraits by photocopying the contents of their pockets or bags.

A series of objects is arranged on the glass surface of a photocopier. At left, a student’s left hand adjusts a book, which is face down without a visible title. In the center of the glass surface, a worn 3″ by 5″ index card, a gift card, a small tin of mints, a clearly marked ChapStick, and a bright-red Tide-to-Go pen are arranged to fit the space. These objects are facedown on the glass for copying. On the right, the student’s right hand partially covers a pin with the words “Youth Express” inside an image of headphones.

Commissioned Portraits

Explore portraiture and use collage to create a self-portrait.

A screen printed portrait of Tina Chow against a silver background. Chow’s skin is pale peach, a stark contrast to the deep black of her hair and eyebrows, the lavender of her eyes, and the cherry red of her lips.

Andy Warhol, Tina Chow, 1985
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.521

Diversity of Voice: Views on Guns in America

Critique the role of art in communicating cultural and sometimes controversial values.

A screen print depicting several overlapping guns. Against a silver background, a black hi-standard revolver points to the left side of the piece. A pale green copy of the image is slightly offset to its right, and a bright red copy is slightly to its left. Interlocked with the images of the revolver is an upside down black hi-standard pistol facing to the right of the image.

Andy Warhol, Guns, 1981-1982
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.277

Everyday Objects and Transformation

Alter a popular everyday object using a wide range of materials to change its visual impact.

This artwork consists of 23 Coca-Cola bottles spray painted silver and arranged in a silkscreen printed, wooden crate. The crate is painted yellow with lettering printed in red. The slogan on the front panel reads “Have a Coke” while the logo on the right-side panel reads Coca Cola along with the words “drink” and “in bottles”.

Andy Warhol, You're In, 1967
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.789a-x

Death and Disasters: Appropriating and Manipulating News Imagery

Examine the practice of photojournalism and explore how visual information may be edited or altered to convey new meanings.

A grid of two rows of four black-and-white images depicting cans of tuna with varying degrees of shadow obscuring the image. The bottom right image is missing. Under the images is part of a headline that reads, “Seized shipment: Did a leak kill....”

Andy Warhol, Tunafish Disaster, 1963
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.17

Camouflage Sound Activity

Intuitively respond to works of art through music and writing.

This image shows a camouflage print with overlapping abstract shapes. Instead of greens and browns, the colors in this print are pale pink, red and white, with navy blue accents.

Andy Warhol, Camouflage, 1986
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.350

Brillo: Is It Art?

Develop tools to respond critically to challenging works of art and appreciate multiple viewpoints.

This artwork is a recreation of a cardboard Brillo soap pads box using silkscreen ink and house paint on plywood. The box is white with navy blue and red lettering. The blue caption on the front side top of the box reads 24 Giant Size Pkgs.”, while the bottom caption reads “Shines Aluminum Fast. In the middle of the box in red lettering is the word New!” with the brand name “Brillo” spelled out in alternating red and blue letters. Beneath that is the tagline “Soap Pads with Rust Resister”. The side of the box is similar except for a caption at the bottom printed in blue that reads “Brillo Mfg. Co. Inc. -- Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Made in U.S.A..

Andy Warhol, Brillo Soap Pads Box , 1964
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.709

Still Life and Observation Drawing

Learn the fundamentals of contour-line drawing using still life.

The off-white page is filled with five line drawings of an onion from different angles.

Andy Warhol, Five Views of an Onion, 1950s
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.1750

Rubber Stamping

Use Andy Warhol's rubber stamping technique to explore repetition, pattern, and design.

A line drawing of a man’s face that has been stamped with a variety of shapes including stars, shooting stars, crescent moons, and birds.

Andy Warhol, Unidentified Male (with Decorative Stamps), 1950s
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.1682

Time Capsule 21 Activity: A Day in the Life of Warhol

Examine Andy Warhol's Time Capsules and discuss how objects reveal important information about people, places, and cultures.

A worn, brown cardboard box sits against a white background. It had been sealed with silver duct tape, but it has been opened. The number “21” is written in red pen on top of the box. There is also minimal additional writing on the side of the box in pencil.

Andy Warhol, Time Capsule 21, 1928-1974; Bulk: 1950s-1960s
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.123

Screen Tests

Produce filmed portraits using Andy Warhol's Screen Tests as inspiration.

A blonde woman with voluminous hair and heavy eye makeup gazes directly into the camera in this black-and-white film still. The image is blurry and full of light, giving the image a dreamlike quality.

Andy Warhol, Screen Test: Jane Holzer [ST141], 1964
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© 2015 The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, a museum of Carnegie Institute. All rights reserved.
1997.4.113.141

Andy Warhol’s Blotted Line

Learn Andy Warhol's blotted line process by combining drawing with basic printmaking skills.

A blotted line drawing showing the pointed toe of a woman’s shoe, which features a small bow. The words The French Look are handwritten beneath the shoe.

Andy Warhol, "The French Look", 1958
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.1266

Silkscreen Printing

Learn about photographic silkscreen printing process from beginning to end. In this unit, students manipulate digital images, burn silkscreens and create multi-layer prints using the same techniques Warhol employed.

Four simple, five-petaled flowers are printed against a vibrant green background of grass. The flowers on the left side of the image are purple on the top and blue on the bottom, and on the right they are hot pink on the top and red on the bottom.

Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1964
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
1998.1.25