In Warhol’s desire to mass-produce his work he gathered around him fellow bohemians who contributed to and assisted in the production of much of his work from this period. On top of artists, film makers and photographers Warhol attracted a large following of celebrity friends, propelling Warhol himself to become an iconic figure of the day. On the 3 June 1968, Warhol was shot and very nearly fatally wounded by Valerie Solanas, a marginal figure in The Factory set up. She claimed he had too much control over her life. Warhol survived the attack, although continued to suffer from the incident for the rest of his life. This fundamentally changed the way the Factory was run and heavily influenced Warhol’s work.
