The phrase “15 minutes of fame” is a well-known expression, but it has multiple meanings and a disputed origin story. The full statement, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” has long been attributed to eclectic pop artist Andy Warhol. It’s usually taken to mean that everyone will become notorious for something, at some point. Another interpretation is that fame is fleeting, and anyone who is in the spotlight should expect it to pass quickly.
Which version is correct? Either is possible, depending on how the user intends their message. But an exploration of the origin of the phrase may help us understand the idiom.
In English, we can find the earliest example of the phrase in print in an October 1967 edition of Time magazine. An article about a sculpture show in Washington, D.C.’s Corcoran Gallery quoted Warhol in the context of the then-rapidly changing art scene: “Whole new schools of painting seem to charge through the art scene with the speed of an express train, causing Pop Artist Andy Warhol to predict the day ‘when everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.’”
However, Warhol might not deserve credit for the coining of the phrase. Photographer Nat Finkelstein claimed he originated the expression in 1966. While he was photographing Warhol for a proposed book, a crowd gathered in an attempt to get in the picture. Warhol supposedly remarked that everyone wants to be famous, to which Finkelstein replied: “Yeah, for about 15 minutes, Andy.”
But an earlier precedent for this expression was set almost a hundred years prior to that anecdote, in a different language. In 1879, French writer Alphonse Daudet published an article discussing young writers experiencing ephemeral fame; it included the phrase quart-d’heure de célébrité (“15 minutes of celebrity”).
Of course, Warhol enjoyed far more than 15 minutes of fame. He became an iconic pop figure before his death in 1987, almost 40 years ago. Today, his artwork continues to be highly valued (his depiction of Marilyn Monroe went for $195 million at auction in 2022), and his artwork is displayed in such major art institutions as the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the National Gallery of Art. His 15 minutes have been long extended.
So, which interpretation of the phrase is correct? There’s no knowing, because of the evanescence inherent in the concept of celebrity. When Warhol (and others) made this memorable observation about fame, the concept of fleeting internet fame had not yet been invented. Perhaps he was prescient.
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