Me and Warhol: souvenirs from Andyland

He was the first to make fame outside Hollywood seem the ultimate prize. For him it was a way to keep the party exciting

Andy Warhol, painter, silk-screener, sculptor, film-maker, diarist and confirmed partygoer. White wig and remote expression. The prophet who in his laconic phrase foresaw that “in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes”.

Andy Warhol has a lot to answer for. His effect on the world of art, Pop Art and, even more significantly, modern celebrity culture was and remains so huge that when he died in 1987 from a routine gall-bladder operation, the Village Voice gave its cover to his photo with the headline, “Is God Dead?”