Happy birthday, Andy Warhol! Today marks the 96th birthday of the man who brought Pop Art into the mainstream and forever changed the art world.

Warhol was born on August 6, 1927, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and from a young age, it was clear that he had a talent for art. He studied art at Carnegie Mellon University before moving to New York City to pursue a career as an artist. And boy, did he succeed!

Warhol’s distinctive style, characterized by bold colors and the repetition of familiar images, quickly gained him fame and fortune. His works, which often featured everyday objects like Campbell’s Soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles, were a commentary on the commercialization and mass production of American culture.

But Warhol wasn’t just an artist – he was also a filmmaker, author, and music producer. He was a regular at New York’s Studio 54, rubbing elbows with celebrities and socialites. In fact, Warhol was such a cultural icon that he even had his own television show, “Andy Warhol’s TV,” which aired on MTV in the 1980s.

Despite his fame and success, Warhol remained humble and down-to-earth. When asked about his talent, he famously quipped, “I just paint things I always thought were beautiful, things you use every day and never think about.”

Warhol’s influence can still be seen today, not just in the art world, but in popular culture as well. His iconic images have been used in everything from advertisements to music videos, and his concepts of mass production and celebrity worship have become integral to modern society.

But perhaps the biggest testament to Warhol’s impact is the fact that his works continue to fetch high prices at auctions. In 2013, his painting “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” sold for a staggering $105 million at Christie’s. That’s a lot of soup cans!

So on this day, let’s raise a can of Campbell’s (or a Coca-Cola, if that’s more your style) and toast to the birthday of a true artistic icon. Happy birthday, Andy Warhol!