Andy Warhol's Mother

While biographers of Andy Warhol have long recognized his mother as a significant influence on his life and art, Julia Warholas story has not yet been told. As an American immigrant who was born in a small Carpatho-Rusyn village in Austria-Hungary in 1891, Julia never had the opportunity to develop her own considerable artistic talents. Instead, she worked and sacrificed so her son could follow his dreams, helping to shape Andys art and persona. Julia famously followed him to New York City and lived with him there for almost twenty years, where she remained engaged in his personal and artistic life. She was well known as 'Andy Warhols mother,' even developing a distinctive signature with the title that she used on her own drawings.

Exploring previously unpublished material, including Rusyn-language correspondence and videos, Andy Warhols Mother provides the first in-depth look at Julias hardscrabble life, her creative imagination, and her spirited personality. Elaine Rusinko follows Julias life from the folkways of the Old Country to the smog of industrial Pittsburgh and the tumult of avant-garde New York. Rusinko explores the impact of Julias Carpatho-Rusyn culture, Byzantine Catholic faith, and traditional worldview on her ultra-modern son, the quintessential American artist. This close examination of the Warhola familys lifeworld allows a more acute perception of both Andy and Julia while also illuminating the broader social and cultural issues that confronted and conditioned them.