Netflix’s new biographical drama, The Andy Warhol Diaries bases itself around the famous American personality, who was the leading figure in the movement concerning visual art that gave rise to pop art. Directed by the Emmy-nominated filmmaker Andrew Rossi, this limited series has American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy serving as the executive director. The series is based on the eponymous Andy Warhol Diaries, dictated by Warhol to Pat Hackett.
The Andy Warhol Diaries consists of six episodes, each with a runtime of 50-70 minutes. The documentary series features Warhol himself along with interviews from famed personalities like Bob Colacello, Christopher Makos, Rob Lowe, Jerry Hall, Mariel Hemingway, Vincent Fremont, Larry Gagosian, Donna De Salvo, Jeffrey Deitch, Cornelia Guest, and Jane Holzer.
– The Andy Warhol Diaries Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
The Andy Warhol Diaries: The Self Potrait of an Icon
The show is the compilation of Andy Warhol documenting his life which started after the artist went through a near-death experience of being shot back in 1968 at the hands of shooter Valerie Solanas. We witness the icon’s rise from the grim city of Pittsburgh to shinning under the New York limelight. The audiences are given a sneak peek into the relationship of Warhol with interior designer Jed Johnson, which almost tears apart his life and, is reminiscent of how things fell apart between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, of course keeping aside the bloody aftermath.
By the third episode titled A Double Life: Andy & Jon, get us to the more explicit and exploratory lane of Andy Warhol’s life. Cruising through drag and identity, the relationship between Warhol and closeted Jon Gould, Paramount Communications’ executive is shown. By show closes with the last years of Warhol’s life that covers his emergence into the world of mainstream media like Saturday Night Live and, that one iconic commission painting honouring ‘The Last Supper’.
One of the most interesting and innovative aspects of The Andy Warhol Diaries is the use of artificial intelligence that makes it sound like Warhol himself is narrating the entire series. There are, of course, some glitches here and there but, they cannot be held against the way the biopic is successful in giving us an intimate look into the professional and personal sphere of the iconic artist, with both the good and the bad. But, sure that does not mean that some whitewashing remains out of the series. Such the segment concerning Warhol’s sexuality remains more ambiguous than factual.
The episodes do feel extremely long and, evenly paced. However, the editing and cinematography saves the day as visually the series keeps you captured and engaged with the narrative.
The Andy Warhol Diaries: Final Verdict
From Kanye West to Mark Zukerberg’s Meta, The Andy Warhol Diaries is a piece of cinema that is instrumental in portraying how the artist’s influence has impacted the world we live in.
The series is more inspiring and educational than a fun watch. With archival footage and, the eerie sense of Any Warhol himself retelling his life from beyond the grave, the series makes up for a key watch in not only knowing the artist himself but, how the world has been changed by him and, how the world changed him.
An exploration of art, life and everything around, you can watch all six episodes of The Andy Warhol Diaries now streaming on Netflix.
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