Pop Trickster Fool: Warhol Performs Naivete

By Kelly M. Cresap

Book Overview

What Andy Warhol didn't know--or pretended not to know--changed history. He habitually adopted the guise of a fool in public, which made it all the harder to grasp what he was getting at with his pop paintings and deadpan films. By making his own apparent lack of competence and intelligence into an elaborate ruse, he became a figure without precedent: a man whose self-conscious naivete has had truly revolutionary impact.

With poise, wit, and exacting intelligence, Kelly M. Cresap performs a nearly impossible task: accounting for the far-ranging implications of Warhol's sustained performance as a naif. This book is as much for those who despise Warhol as those who admire him. Among the offerings here is a vigorous account of the search for Warhol's brain; a polemic on camp taste; and a unique town-hall forum representing four decades of intense debate about the artist. Readers will find an engaging blend of art and literature, popular culture and mythology, as well as timely reflections on postmodernism, queer identity politics, and the nature of jokes and performance.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252071816
• ISBN13: 9780252071812
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 234 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

From the Publisher

"What Andy Warhol didn't know -- or pretended not to know -- changed history. He habitually adopted the guise of a fool in public, which made it all the harder to grasp what he was getting at with his pop paintings and deadpan films. By making his own apparent lack of competence and intelligence into an elaborate ruse, he became a figure without precedent: a man whose self-conscious naivete has had revolutionary impact. With poise, wit, and exacting intelligence, Kelly M. Cresap accomplishes a nearly impossible task: accounting for the far-ranging implications of Warhol's sustained performance as a naif. Warhol's practice of 'cultivating naivete,' as Cresap formulates it, provides a compelling new avenue for examining the enigma of his personality as well as the extraordinary scope of his influence. It sheds light on Warhol's queer sexuality, his artistic, literary, and social passions, and his uncanny aura. This book is as much for those who despise Warhol as those who admire him. Among the offerings here are a vigorous account of the search for Warhol's brain; a polemic on camp taste; and a unique form representing four decades of intense debate about the artist. Readers will find an engaging blend of art and literature, popular culture and mythology, as well as timely reflections on post-modernism, queer sensibility, and the nature of jokes and performance."--courtesy of Barnes & Noble