40 years ago, Andy Warhol helped debut the Commodore Amiga computer
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Commodore Amiga’s release. Alongside contemporaries like the Macintosh and Acorn desktop computers, the Amiga helped usher the digital era into homes and played a major role in the PC revolution. Originally billed as a versatile, business-oriented machine, the Amiga 1000 featured a 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU, some of the most cutting-edge graphics and sound systems of the time, and a multitasking operating system running on 256 KB of ROM. The Amiga line became known for its creative capacities, including its abilities to help craft video games, artwork, and music.
The Aminga’s cultural impact was bolstered by its flashy public debut celebration, which emerged as one of the most surreal moments in tech history. On July 23, 1984, Commodore hosted a black-tie launch event in New York City at Lincoln Center, complete with an orchestra and live hardware demonstrations. The event also included a live art session with Andy Warhol, who used the Amiga to paint a portrait of Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry.
After some initial guidance from “resident Amiga artist” Jack Haeger, Warhol began by taking a “digital snapshot” of Harry before overlaying it with color fills using Amiga’s ProPaint V27 software—a precursor to illustration programs like MSPaint.
