As a child, Andy Warhol enjoyed drawing immensely. He drew many portraits of his friends and family. Unfortunately there are only a few works known from this period prior to his starting college.

In 1945, Andy graduated Schenley High School at the young age of sixteen. He started his studies at Carnegie Tech the following September. He was one of the youngest in his class since many of his fellow classmates were returning war veterans attending college on the GI Bill. It wasn't long before his drawing abilities became known amongst his peers.

There exists a small group of drawings from his college days. Many of these are at The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. They include some animal studies that he had done at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Others are a series of sketches he had done during the summer of 1946. He helped his oldest brother, Paul, huckster fruit and vegetables from a truck in the local neighborhood. During breaks he sketched scenes of the customers. From these drawings he was awarded a small scholarship for his next year at college.

Andy posing in front of his easel at Carnegie Tech. On the easel is one of his paintings from the Nosepicker Series.

The paintings as a group at the Paul Warhola family residence near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

As for paintings, there are about 14 known works. Ten of these are owned by members of the Paul Warhola family. Paul had recognized that these paintings possessed a very special quality. He saved them from being thrown out in 1949, when Andy moved to New York.

Andy’s primary ambition while at Carnegie Tech was to become a fine artist and possibly teach art like some of his professors. Instead, the opportunity came up to leave Pittsburgh and pursue art in New York City with Philip Pearlstein. He immediately started into the field of illustration. His aspirations in becoming a fine artist were postponed since the illustration work earned him a very good income. He had an endless flow of work that gained him much recognition throughout the 1950's.

I Like Dance

Oil on board, 24 x 24in, 1947

Nosepicker#2

Tempera on board, 37 x 18 in, 1948

Boy and Tree

Tempera on board, 24x 20in, 1947

Two Dogs Kissing

Tempera on board, 32 x 17.5 in, 1947

Girl in Park

Tempera on board, 25 x 20 in, 1948

Living Room

Watercolor on paper, 15 x 20 in, 1947

Male Figure

Tempera on board, 24 x 20 in, 1947

Blue Face

Tempera on board, 24 x 20in, 1947

The Broad Gave Me My Face,

But I Can Pick My Own Nose

(aka Why Pick on Me, aka Nosepicker #1)

Tempera on board, 30x 24.5, 1948

Three Children

Tempera on board, 36 x 48 in, 1947