Andy Warhol exhibition, Tate Modern

Born in 1927 to working-class immigrants, Andy Warhol would become one of America's most important artists of the 20th century. In spring 2020, Tate Modern will open a major six-month exhibition, celebrating the artist’s career. The show will include some of his best-known works, including his screenprint portrait of Marilyn Monroe, his soup cans and cola bottles, as well as some of his less familiar pieces, such as his performances and paintings.

Warhol was a sickly child who was sometimes confined to bed, but as he lay drawing and listening to the radio, he became fascinated with celebrity. Decades later he would go on to create his own 'superstars', in the models and actors who starred in his films and socialised at his infamous New York studio, the Factory. It was, in fact, a member of the Factory scene – feminist writer Valerie Solanas – who shot and nearly killed killed Warhol in 1968. The event would have a profound impact on his life and work.

Despite the huge amount of fame and attention Warhol received, he was described as a shy outsider, someone who observed rather than participated in the chaotic world of drugs and celebrity that orbited him and his studio. But crucially, he was a formidable and versatile talent, who turned a successful career in advertising into an epoch-defining body of work, producing images that would become as recognisable as the celebrities they portrayed. More than any other artist, Warhol reimagined art for the commercial age.

This exhibition is set to be extremely popular, so tickets are already on sale. To avoid disappointment, waste no time in booking your visit.