Rusinko has crafted not only a fascinating biography of the famed artist's mother, but also written a richly detailed cultural history of the Carpatho-Rusyn people.-- "Pittsburgh Magazine"
Though it is a biography of one person, Andy Warhol's Mother feels like a communal history.-- "Table Magazine"
From the folkways of Eastern Europe to the avant-garde streets of New York, Julia's world influenced everything from Warhol's soup cans to his iconic aesthetic. A compelling portrait of an unsung muse, this book deepens our understanding of Warhol's artistic roots and the woman who quietly stood behind the Pop artist.-- "ArtNet"
enlightening...-- "Publishers Weekly"
A persuasive look at a famous artist's maternal muse. The book's consideration of Warhola as a true folk artist with roots in Carpatho-Rusyn culture is its greatest contribution. Rusinko, a scholar of Carpatho-Rusyn literature whose grandparents were from the same region, is an ideal guide to this terrain.-- "Kirkus"
Behind many a great artist, there's some master who taught them and then fell into their shadow. Leonardo had Verrocchio, Jackson Pollock had Thomas Hart Benton -- and Andy Warhol had Julia Warhola. In her important new biography of Warhol's mother, Elaine Rusinko lays out an amazingly complete picture of Warhola -- of her life, in more detail by far than anyone else has come up with, but also of her very special artistic persona and the vast effect it had on her famous son.--Blake Gopnik, author of Warhol
Julia Warhola was more than just Andy Warhol's mother. She was his mentor and his most unwavering supporter. An immigrant from Eastern Europe, she guided the Warhol family as they pursued the American Dream. At the same time, she provided Andy the opportunity to find his greatness, change the artworld, and redefine what art is and who it should be for. Andy Warhol's Mother is a must read for those who want a thorough understanding of Warhol, his family, and the cultural influences that shaped his artistic genius.--Donald Warhola, vice president, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
Elaine Rusinko shares the saga of Carpatho-Rusyn life in the first half of the twentiethcentury both in the Old Country and in immigration, with particular emphasis on the plight of women. Drawing on previously unexamined archives and unearthing new details, she offers a fresh perspective on the Warhola family's immigrant experience that nurtured Andy Warhol as a person and an artist.--Patricia A. Krafcik, author of Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' The Sojourns of Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht
For much of his adult life, Andy Warhol lived with his mother in New York City. Drawing upon a wealth of material, Elaine Rusinko takes us beyond the mythmaking surrounding this arrangement and brings to life Julia Warhola's unique voice, chronicling her Carpatho-Rusyn background, her immigrant world in Pittsburgh, and her complex relationship with her famous son. This is an important book.--Reva Wolf, State University of New York at New Paltz
Julia Warhola was an artist in her own right. Naïve yet shrewd, traditional yet eccentric, and tender yet manipulative, this complex Carpatho-Rusyn immigrant led a purposeful life. However, she is often stereotyped in biographies of her famous son. Rusinko skillfully and sensitively narrates her life story from Miková to Pittsburgh and New York, offering a nuanced perspective that challenges conventional portrayals.--Bogdan Horbal, Curator for Slavic and East European Collections, the New York Public Library