From Warhol to Dr Seuss, admen who became artists

Many artists got their start in the world of advertising though few were as brazen as Andy Warhol in treating it equal to their fine art practice.
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A recreated shop-front by Andy Warhol in an exhibition at Art Gallery of NSW , Adman – Warhol Before Pop. Photograph: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc/ARS

At the height of Andy Warhol’s career, when he was making screen-prints of Elvis Presley, Marilyn M​onroe and the Electric Chair, he was also creating commercial work for companies Uptown including Tiffany & Co, leather goods company Fleming Joffe, and shoe manufacturer I. Miller.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina