Andy Warhol: Andy Warhol's Index (Book)

Today, this early artist’s book by Warhol is an expensive rarity and at the same time a fascinating piece of art history. It was printed by Random House in New York in 1967. It includes photos, quotes and a range of things that communicate with us. It contains pop-ups, folds and even a 45 RPM record with an audio recording.

Eight pop-ups and cut-outs feature a medieval castle inhabited by Warhol’s superstars above the inscription “We’re attacked constantly”, an accordion, a plane, Hunt’s Tomato Paste can, a folded geodesic dome on a string, a paper disc that says “The Chelsea Girls”, a vinyl record by Lou Reed (Velvet Underground), an illustration of a nose with two coloured overlays on a double page, a perforated sheet of stamps and a gold balloon melted and fused onto two pages.

The text in English originates from the rather monosyllabic interview with Warhol. It appears as varied and random in design and only acts as an addition to all the other elements of the artist’s book. The book was printed in a limited edition on 74 pages, each copy numbered. The first copy of the book was also equipped with an original printed cellophane bag.