 Andy Warhol and Archie byJack Mitchell, 1973 | |
| Species | Canis familiaris |
|---|---|
| Breed | Dachshund |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | August 3, 1972 |
| Known for | Andy Warhol's pet |
| Owners | Andy Warhol Jed Johnson |
| Named after | Archie Bunker |
Archie, also known asArchie Bunker, was adachshund owned by pop artistAndy Warhol and interior designerJed Johnson.
Warhol treated Archie as his alter ego and depicted him in his works. Archie became a socialite, accompanying Warhol to photoshoots, parties, and trips to Europe. A few years after they got Archie, Warhol and Johnson acquired another dachshund, Amos.
After owning 26 cats in the 1950s, Andy Warhol's partner, Jed Johnson, convinced him they should get a dog.[1][2] Johnson settled on a male black and tan short-haired dachshund puppy, which they acquired in November 1972.[3] He was named Archie after the wisecracking characterArchie Bunker in the popular TV seriesAll in the Family.[4][5]
Warhol and Johnson doted on Archie.[6] Warhol fed himQuarter Pounders fromMcDonald's, steak, sautéed liver,caviar, and rubbedJoy perfume on him.[7][8][9] Archie wore aTiffany's dog tag and aHermès leash.[10][8] He was always carried about by Warhol, who urged him to talk.[5][4] Archie accompanied Warhol to his studio, art openings, parties, and restaurants.[11][12] Warhol would also bring him to press conferences as his "alter ego" and "would deflect questions to [Archie] that he did not want to answer."[11]
In the Spring of 1973, Warhol and Archie traveled to Rome where Johnson was working with directorPaul Morrissey on the filmsFlesh for Frankenstein (1973) andBlood for Dracula (1974) atCinecittà Studios.[13] They also visited France and Switzerland.[14] Warhol brought Archie to Rome when he filmed his scenes in the filmThe Driver's Seat (1974) in August 1973 and October 1973.[15][7] By the age of 1, Archie had reportedly crossed the Atlantic at least 10 times.[8]
Archie gained fame as Warhol's companion, and people recognized him on the street.[16] As a result, he had a high modeling fee.[4] Warhol was a self-proclaimedstage mother and took Archie to photoshoots.[4] They were featured in various publications such theNew York Daily News, theNew York Post, theAssociated Press,L'Uomo Vogue, andEsquire.[17][16][18] He also appeared with him in aPioneer Electronics advertisement in 1974.[19]
By 1975, Warhol and Johnson had expanded their family by purchasing a light brown short-haired dachshund puppy that they named Amos.[1] Amos and Archie were both Prestige Pets.[20] Warhol often referred to Amos as Archie's dog.[20][4][21] He told socialiteLee Radziwill in the March 1975 issue ofInterview magazine that he got Amos as a Christmas present for Archie.[20] He also revealed that Archie had recently mated with a female dachshund Prestige Pet at the pet store and was "going to be a father."[20] "I took him over and he did his manly duty, and then the next day I brought Amos home, so that confused him, he thinks he got very quick results," Warhol said.[20] "Unlike Archie who enjoyed the company of people and was very social, Amos was more like a regular dog," saidVincent Fremont, a member of Warhol's inner circle.[11] Amos was photographed with Johnson andWarhol superstarGeraldine Smith for the February 1976 issue ofInterview magazine.[22]
Archie has been depicted in several paintings. Warhol painted a silkscreen portrait of Archie and Johnson.[23] He was painted byJamie Wyeth, and Warhol did a portrait of Amos for Archie.[24][21] In 1977, Warhol told Barbara Isenberg of theLos Angeles Times, "Archie has a really good beginning (art) collection."[21]
Eventually, Warhol stopped taking Archie to events, certain that he would be entertained with Amos at home.[11] They lived at 57 E 66th St on Manhattan'sUpper East Side, and Johnson managed his decorating business from the fourth floor.[25][6] Archie and Amos would use the elevator in the townhouse.[6][25]
On August 3, 1980, Warhol told his diary: "It was Archie's birthday and he's eight or nine or even older. I gave him a box of Hartz Mountain treats."[26] When Johnson moved out of Warhol's townhouse in December 1980, the two shared custody of Archie and Amos.[27] Johnson would take them for the weekend to his apartment on theUpper West Side of Manhattan.[28] In a December 1986 diary entry, Warhol said:
Archie and Amos were sick last night. Jed picked them up and took them to the doctor's. Ran into him later, he was with Katy Jones, and he was talking about what was wrong with the dogs. They're just really getting old. I told Jed I'd give him one of the Dog paintings. Life's so short and a dog's life is even shorter—they'll both be going to heaven soon.[29]
In February 1987, Warhol died following gallbladder surgery.[30] Archie and Amos survived him, and they lived with Johnson until their deaths years later.[31] Archie appeared with Johnson in the June 1992 issue ofHarper's Bazaar.[32]
According to Warhol's friendPaige Powell, Archie and Amos "lived to be about 21 years old."[31]
Andy Warhol painted a silkscreen portrait of Archie and Jed Johnson.[23]
In 1974, artistMartin Hoffman painted a portrait of Archie and Warhol at the Factory.[33]
Archie was depicted in paintings and drawings by artistJamie Wyeth in the exhibition "Andy Warhol and Jamie Wyeth Portraits of Each Other" at New York's Coe Kerr Gallery in 1976.[34][35]
A photo of Archie dressed as thePope was published in Warhol's bookExposures (1979).[36]
A photo of Archie taken byPeter Hujar in 1975 was published in the bookBlack and White Dogs (1992) byJean-Claude Suarès.[37]
In 2022, a mixed media image by Warhol titled "Archie, the Dachshund" was included in the exhibition "A Thousand Hounds: A Walk with Dogs Through the History of Photography" at theUBS Paine Webber Art Gallery in New York.[38]
