“In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes” is a quote that everyone knows or has heard at some point in their lifetime. For many years, the quote has been credited to the late Andy Warhol, the purveyor of all things cool during the 1960s and ’70s. After some digging and investigative work, art critic Blake Gopnik may have found evidence that suggests that Warhol never spoke those words.
Gopnick shared his findings on Warholiana.com in a blog post that tracks the phrase through time to see if it was born elsewhere and simply adopted by the artist. He writes “Warhol, the worldâs greatest sponge, would hardly have proclaimed that he hadnât coined his trademark aphorism. Warholâs art and persona were all about the rewards of his sponging.” Here’s a clip from Gopnick’s interview with Marketplace.org.
Art historians and critics probably consider this a big deal, but does the rest of the world care? Will casual Warhol fans reevaluate their lives after learning that he may not have said this specific gem? Probably not, but it’s still interesting to consider the role that “sponging” has played throughout the course of history in the field of art, music, and other forms of expression.
Lasane, Andrew. “Andy Warhol’s “15 Minutes of Fame” Quote May Have Been Someone Else’s.” Complex. 7 April 2014.
http://www.complex.com/style/2014/04/andy-warhol-15-minutes-of-fame-quote-may-have-been-someone-elses
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