John Warhola (May 31, 1925 – December 24, 2010) played a pivotal role in maintaining the legacy of his younger brother, pop artist

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

, assigned responsibility by their father on his deathbed to ensure that Andy attended college and serving as a trustee of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts after his brother's death in 1987. Warhola oversaw the establishment of

The Andy Warhol Museum The Andy Warhol Museum is located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archive ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

and the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce,

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. Warhola was born May 31, 1925, in Pittsburgh, the second of three surviving sons of Ondrej and

Julia Warhola Julia Warhola ( rue, Юлія Вархола; born Júlia Justína Zavacká ( rue, Юлія Юстінія Завацка); November 20, 1891 – November 22, 1972) was the mother of the American artist Andy Warhol. Life Warhola was born Júli ...

. Shortly before his death in 1942, his father asked Warhola to take responsibility for Andy's college education. Warhola's son recalled that his grandfather had said that "Your role is to take care of Andy and make sure he goes to school, because he's going to be successful someday". Warhola attended vocational school himself and used the proceeds of savings bonds that his father had set aside to pay for Andy's first two years at the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, and used the money he earned at a series of jobs to pay for Andy's final two years in college.Roddy, Dennis B
"Obituary: John Warhola / Brother who was told, 'Your role is to take care of Andy'"
''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...

'', December 25, 2010. Accessed December 29, 2010. After Warhol graduated from college and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Warhola kept in touch with his brother on a regular basis, calling him weekly until his death. As part of Andy Warhol's will, Warhola was named as one of the trustees of an organization that would support the arts. As vice president of the foundation for two decades, Warhola helped oversee the creation of museums dedicated to Warhol's work in their native Pittsburgh and in the area of Slovakia where his parents had grown up. Established in 1991, the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art was given some two dozen works of Warhol, as well as other pieces created by the eldest Warhola brother, Paul.Grimes, William
"John Warhola, Brother of Andy Warhol, Dies at 85"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', December 28, 2010. Accessed December 29, 2010. Warhola was an active participant at The Andy Warhol Museum located in Pittsburgh's North Side neighborhood, often speaking with children visiting the museum about his brother's work. A resident of

Freedom, Pennsylvania Freedom is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Ohio River northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 1,495 at the 2020 census. Originally founded as a steamboat building town, chief industries later incl ...

, Warhola died at

Allegheny General Hospital Allegheny General Hospital is a large urban hospital located at 320 East North Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the larger Allegheny Health Network. History Allegheny General Hospital, also known locally by the acr ...

in Pittsburgh at the age of 85 due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on December 24, 2010.Vidonic, Bill
"John Warhola, brother of Andy Warhol, dies at 85"
'' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', December 25, 2010. Accessed December 29, 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warhola, John 1925 births 2010 deaths American people of Lemko descent Museum founders Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania People from Beaver County, Pennsylvania People from Pittsburgh Warhola family