Warhol´s assassination: Attempted murder of Andy Warhol
First, read the text carefully. Then proceed to the exercise below:
On June 3, 1968, she arrived at The Factory and waited for Warhol in the lobby area. When he arrived with a couple of friends, she produced a handgun and shot at Warhol three times, hitting him once in the chest. She then shot art critic Mario Amaya and also tried to shoot Warhol's manager, Fred Hughes, but her gun jammed as the elevator arrived. Hughes suggested she take it and she did, leaving the Factory. Warhol barely survived; he never fully recovered and for the rest of his life wore a corset to prevent his injuries from worsening. Later that same day, Solanas turned herself in to Officer William Schmalix, a NYPD officer passing by her on the street where she produced the gun and told him about the shooting. Officer Schmalix immediately arrested her and she was charged with attempted murder and other offenses. Solanas made statements to the arresting officer and at the arraignment hearing that Warhol had "too much control" over her and that Warhol was planning to steal her work. Pleading guilty, she received a three-year sentence in a psychiatric hospital. Warhol refused to testify against her. The attack had a profound impact on Warhol and his art, and The Factory scene became much more tightly controlled afterward. For the rest of his life, Warhol lived in fear that Solanas would attack him again. "It was the Cardboard Andy, not the Andy I could love and play with," said close friend and collaborator Billy Name . "He was so sensitized you couldn't put your hand on him without him jumping. I couldn't even love him anymore, because it hurt him to touch him." [5] While his friends were actively hostile towards Solanas, Warhol himself preferred not to discuss her.
Attempts allowed: 4
Grading method: Highest grade