Unidentified Man

1949

Move to New York

After graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in June 1949, Warhol moved to New York with his classmate Philip Pearlstein. They lived in a sixth-floor walk-up tenement on St. Mark's Place in the East Village.

1949

First commission from Glamour

On his second day in New York, Warhol went to see Glamour's art director Tina Fredericks, who bought a drawing of an orchestra for $10 and commissioned shoe illustrations for the September 1949 issue. It marked the start of his career as a commercial artist.

early 1950s

Friendships with television designers

Warhol befriended television designers, among them John J. Graham, who designed the NBC peacock, and the CBS set designer Charles Lisanby, who became one of his closest companions. He was interested in Lisanby's television work and wanted to follow artists such as Ben Shahn who occasionally worked in the medium.

1952

First solo exhibition

The gallerist Alexander Iolas organised Andy Warhol: Fifteen Drawings Based on the Writings of Truman Capote at New York's Hugo Gallery, Warhol's first solo exhibition.