Andy Warhol Work and Play (original) (raw)

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Andy Warhol Work and Play

January 25 through June 8, 2003

As a leader of the pop Art movement in the 1960s, Andy Warhol altered the face of art forever. Warhol was trained as a graphic artist in the 1940s and during the following decade made a name for himself in the New York design world. In the early 1960s he began to appropriate media imagery -- from product advertising and celebrity photos to newspaper coverage of accidents -- as the subject of his paintings and screenprints. He was responsible for breaking down the boundary between high art and commercial art, and, in the process, became a. brand name himself. Andy Warhol is one of the most widely recognized names in the history of art.

The Fleming Museum presents Andy Warhol Work and Play, the first exhibition of Warhol's work ever to be shown in northern Vermont. Planning for the exhibition began with a generous offer by Jon Kilik '78, a UVM alumnus and celebrated film producer in New York, to loan his collection of Warhol works to the Fleming. With this exciting collection forming the keystone of the exhibition, the Museum then expanded upon it with other works borrowed from public and private collections in New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

Andy Warhol Work and Play presents paintings, prints, and drawings dating from 1948 to 1984. It includes early examples of his blotted-line technique, drawings from the early 1950s, and classic 1960s pop icons such as Campbell's Soup, Marilyn, and Flowers. Warhol's 1971 screenprint portfolio, Electric Chair, is included in its entirety, along with four canvases from his renowned_Ladies and Gentlemen_ series of 1975. A number of self-portraits from various points in the artist's career are shown, as well as abstract and religious subjects from late in his career, including Shadow, 1978;Crosses, 1982; Buddhas, 1983; and Rorschach, 1984.

A wide range of material exhibited in vitrines (glass display cases) will offer a view into the artist's personal life, his career, and his times. Included are Polaroid photographs of the artist, early exhibition invitations and drawings sent to friends; offset-litho books he made in the 1950s such as Love is a Pink Cake, exhibition posters; and many of the books that Warhol published during his career.

An ancillary exhibition in the Wolcott Gallery presents photographs of Warhol by himself and others. Included are images of Warhol and his circle in the 1960s by photographer, poet, and Warhol-collaborater Gerard Malanga. Malanga was Warhol's assistant in the Factory -- Warhol's infamous studio -- where he helped the artist produce prints, paintings, and films. Also on view is a 20 x 24 Polaroid self-portrait, and photographs from the renowned 1982 series Andy Warhol in Drag, by photographer Christopher Makos.

Andy Warhol Work and Play offers a strong representation of Warhol's work along with rare documentary materials that together reflect the range of Warhol's activities, his artistic process, and his often prescient view of American culture. In addition, it highlights the collaborations with poets, musicians, and other artists that were a hallmark of his artistic production.

The extensive programming that accompanies this major exhibition includes films by and about Warhol, readings by poets in Warhol's circle in the early 1960s, lectures about the artist and his time, a screenprinting workshop, and kids' vacation camps.

Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional source by visiting the sub-index page for the **Robert Hull Fleming Museum **in Resource Library Magazine.

Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.

This page was originally published in 2003 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.