Translating Warhol

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The first study of the translations of Andy Warhol's writing and ideas, Translating Warhol reveals how translation has alternately censored, exposed, or otherwise affected the presentation of his political and social positions and attitudes and, in turn, the value we place on his art and person.

Andy Warhol is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and a vast global literature about Warhol and his work exists. Yet almost nothing has been written about the role of translations of his words in his international reputation. Translating Warhol fills this gap, developing the topic in multiple directions and in the context of the reception of Warhols work in various countries.

The numerous translations of Warhols writings, words, and ideas offer a fertile case study of how American art was, and is, viewed from the outside. Both historical and theoretical aspects of translation are taken up, and individual chapters discuss French, German, Italian, and Swedish translations, Warhols translations of his mothers native Rusyn language and culture, the Indian artist Bhupen Khakhars performative translations of Warhol, and Warhol as translated for documentary television.

Translating Warhol offers a fascinating multi-faceted perspective on Warhol, contributing to our understanding of his place in history as well as to translation theory and inter-cultural exchange.

Reviews

Andy Warhols global imprint arguably derives as much from his words and his singular constructed voice as it does from his paintings and films. In this light, Translating Warhol has the wit to tackle the language problem head on. In a series of case studies, a multidisciplinary group of scholars explores the challenges of translation and its role in shaping (or not shaping) historical perspectives and the reception of Warhol and his work. This is a pioneering book: fascinating and far-reaching, a compelling contribution not only to Warhol studies but to the study of translation as a modality of interpretation and cultural exchange. * Neil Printz, Editor, Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonn, Andy Warhol Foundation *
Andy Warhol would have loved this book, because looked at closely, the act of translating Warholthe attempt to translate Warholreveals just how deeply complex he and his work really were. Even the comic errors in some translations unlock the humor thats there already in the man and his art, as he and it refuse to make their meanings clear. The essays in Translating Warhol reveal something important: Warhol doesnt translate into English. * Blake Gopnik, author of Warhol (2020) *
Any translator brave enough to take on Andy Warhols work, his complex self-portrayal, 1970s New York slang, and his oblique utterancesmore often caught on the interviewers tape recorder than on the pageis forced to operate simultaneously on many levels: linguistic, intercultural, and intermedial. The challenges posed and the variable quality of the results achieved are the subject of this fascinating essay collection, which illuminates the extravagant play of Warhols ideas as they traverse many languages and cultures. What would art history be without translation * Iain Boyd Whyte, Professor Emeritus, University of Edinburgh, UK, and Founding Editor of Art in Translation *

Author Bio

Reva Wolf is Professor of Art History, State University of New York at New Paltz, USA.