Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met…
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Self-Portrait, Andy Warhol, 1967
Yesterday, I attended a preview of the upcoming Andy Warhol retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan; Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. It is the 50th anniversary of Warhol’s first solo exhibition. I went a bit late in the day, parked my car (the gods of street parking were generous and found me a spot close to the museum on 5th avenue), and headed for the museum entrance. Since this was the first day of a five day preview for members, I was concerned that the crowds would make it difficult to enjoy the collection. I was nicely surprised as the crowds must have come earlier in the day.
Although there were others with me in the Tisch Galleries on the 2nd floor, there was plenty of elbow room and I moved with ease through the five sections and snapped a few photos to share with you. The exhibition showcased 50 works by Warhol and 100 from about 60 other artists and presented what was, as per the invitation: “prime examples of Warhol’s paintings, sculpture, and films with those by other artists who in key ways reinterpret, respond, or react to his ground breaking work. What emerges is a fascinating dialogue between works of art and artists across generations.” The selections were far-ranging and engaging. Maybe too far-ranging for some critics. There were large and small pieces, video selections and wallpapered environments, and I spent the next two hours absorbed in a fantastic, somewhat chaotic Warholian world.
“Pop art is for everyone.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Green Coca-Cola Bottles, and Big Campbell’s Soup-can 19c, Andy Warhol, 1962
Until his death in 1987, Andy Warhol was the reigning king of Pop Art culture and a huge iconic influence on the innovative approach to creative uses of multimedia in the art world. The exhibition is divided into five sections to highlight what guest curator, Mark Rosenthal, and his team categorized as representing the broad phenomenon of the “Warhol effect.” The five thematic sections are: “Daily News: From Banality to Disaster,” “Portraiture: Celebrity and Power,” “Queer Studies: Shifting Identities,” “Consuming Images: Appropriation, Abstraction, and Seriality,” and “No Boundaries: Business, Collaboration, and Spectacle.” Many of Warhol’s significant/signature works are included and innovative, even humorous pieces by other artists add a wonderful, eclectic depth to the show; highlighting his influence on many contemporary artists as well as his enduring legacy.
Andy Warhol Exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York: The Artist Who Created ‘Pop Art’
In the photos included in this post, I’ve separated them into the groupings created by the curators. The titles are pretty self explanatory; however, I’ve added some valuable information (in italics) from the The Met Museum’s page on the exhibition. The exhibition will open to the general public on Tuesday, September 18 through December 31, 2012. Museum hours are: Tuesday–Thursday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 9:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m., and Sunday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. For more information visit: Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. I loved the exhibit perhaps because I didn’t go with preconceived ideas of what it should or should not include… As Warhol once said, “Art is anything you can get away with.” I’ll encourage everyone to go see it. Enjoy the show!
“I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something that was the essence of nothing, and the soup can was it.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Ambulance Disaster, Andy Warhol, 1963-64
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Icebox, Andy Warhol, 1961, Plastik Wannen, Sigmar Polke, 1964, and Brillo Soap Pad Boxes, Andy Warhol, 1964
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Ushering in Banality, Jeff Koons,1988
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Helmsboro Country, Hans Haacke, 1990
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Eight over Eight, Damien Hirst, 1997-98
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Hanging Man Sleeping Man, Robert Gober, 1989
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Hochsitz mit Gansen, (Watchtower with geese), Sigmar Polke, 1987-88
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Untitled Head, Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1981
Daily News: From Banality to Disaster: “explores Warhol’s engagement with the imagery of everyday life, his interest in items of consumerist American culture in the 1960s, and his keen attention to advertising, tabloids, and magazines. Also includes works by artists “who share Warhol’s fascination with disaster or death.” Via The Met. Some Relevant Artists in this section: Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Ai Wei Wei, Sigmar Polke, Hans Haacke, Tom Sachs, Robert Gober, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There’s nothing behind it.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Turquoise Marilyn, Andy Warhol, 1964
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Nine Jackies, Andy Warhol, 1964
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Michael Jackson and Bubbles, Jeff Koons, 1988, and Liza Minnelli (background), Francesco Vezzoli, 1999
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met…Barbara Walters, Julian Schnabel, 1990
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Malcolm X, (Small version 1) #1, Glenn Ligon, 2001
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Philip Glass, Chuck Close, 1969
Portraiture: Celebrity and Power: “looks at Warhol’s engagement with portraiture to illuminate contemporary artists’ continuing interest in the issues of fame or infamy in the age of the tabloid.” Via The Met. Some Relevant Artists in this section: Elizabeth Peyton, Karen Kilimnik, Cindy Sherman, Francesco Vezzoli, Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Julian Schnabel, Maurizio Cattelan, Alex Katz and Chuck Close.
“Exposure and attention make a work famous – the more you talk about it, the more attention it gets, the more validity it achieves.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Self Portrait Camouflage, Andy Warhol, 1986, and Torso from Behind, Andy Warhol, 1977
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… John Martin, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, NY, Richard Avedon, 1975 and Lady Warhol, Christopher Makos, 1981
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Self Portrait, Robert Mapplethorpe, 1980
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Queer, Gilbert & George, 1977 and Kissers, John Currin, 2006
Queer Studies: Shifting Identities: “outlines Warhol’s importance as an artist who broke new ground in representing issues of sexuality and gender in the post-war period…” Via The Met. It includes works by others who added new ways of viewing queer identity. Some Relevant Artists in this section: Richard Avedon, Peter Hujar, Christopher Makos, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Catherine Opie, Gilbert & George and John Currin.
“When you work with people who misunderstand you, instead of getting transmissions, you get transmutations, and that’s much more interesting in the long run.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Baseball, Andy Warhol, 1962
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Black Star Press: Black Star, Black Press, Star, Kelley Walker, 2004
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Oxidation Painting, Andy Warhol, 1978
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Drink Canada Dry, Richard Prince, 1989
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Marilyn Monroe’s Lips, Andy Warhol, 1962
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Red Morning Drowned, Gilbert & George, 1977 and Nine Jackies (background), Andy Warhol, 1964
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Triple Silver Disaster, Andy Warhol, 1963
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… A Two Dimensional Surface, John Baldessari, 1967
Consuming Images: Appropriation, Abstraction, and Seriality: “explores Warhol’s formal strategies and groundbreaking use of pre-existing photographic sources, often endlessly repeated in grid patterns; his appropriation of art history; and his interest in abstraction…” Via The Met. Some Relevant Artists in this section: Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Kelley Walker, Christopher Wool, Gilbert & George, and John Baldessari.
“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Dollar Signs, Andy Warhol, 1981 and Flowers, Andy Warhol, 1964
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Kaikai Kiki, Takashi Murakami, 2001
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Wall Relief with Bird, Jeff Koons, 1991
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Silver Clouds and Red Cows, Andy Warhol, 1966
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Super Mario Clouds, Cory Archangel 2003
No Boundaries: Business, Collaboration, and Spectacle: “the final section of the exhibition—examines Warhol’s interest in artistic partnership through filmmaking, magazine publishing, music, and design….his fascination with creating environments that envelop the viewer entirely…” Via The Met. Some Relevant Artists in this section: Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Polly Apfelbaum and Cory Arcangel.
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… 50th Anniversary Target Store Soup-cans honoring Andy Warhol
Additionally, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the contributions of this brilliant art icon, Target will market colorful cans of Campbell’s soup for 75c. If you visit New York City this fall, pay a visit to The Met and catch the exhibition. Stay Inspired! What are your thoughts? Are you familiar with Andy Warhol’s work? Would you recommend others that are comparable or uniquely different? Do you regularly explore the works of new artists and/or the power of creative action in your life? Do share! Thank you. 🙂
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience!
Positive Motivation Tip: Art in all its forms is empowering and enlightening. It helps us preserve history while creating beauty. Seek your medium and create!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my personal collection. Except Target Campbell Soup cans via khaleejtimes.com
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Related articles
- Art Review: ‘Regarding Warhol’ at the Metropolitan Museum (nytimes.com)
- Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (letstalkoffbroadway.typepad.com)
- Warhol’s art influence shown at the Met (reuters.com)
- Considering Warhol: Inside the Met’s New Exhibition on Andy (vanityfair.com)
- Campbell’s reveals special edition Andy Warhol cans (lostateminor.com)
- Liz Taylor Thank You Note to Andy Warhol (silverbirchpress.wordpress.com)
Andy Warhol has definitely left his mark….!
Indeed he has, and my only regret is that I didn’t meet him during those creative, carefree years. TY! 🙂
I think Warhol is known all over the world 🙂 I am a big art lover myself; an artist whose work I am really interested in is Olafur Eliasson.
Yes, Warhol’s contributions are known globally and let’s not forget his famous line: “Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes…” I concur. I’ll check out Eliasson next. TY! 🙂
Andy Warhol was a very interesting artist, and his works would be remembered… 😉
He was brilliant and his work will continue to influence many new and upcoming contemporary artists. TY! 🙂
Thanks for taking us around what looks to be a masterful exhibition of an artist, his influence and influences. 🙂
Thank you for taking some time to comment on my post… I enjoyed the exhibition very much. 🙂
WOW again!! Another masterpiece of a post!! Glad the parking gods found you a great spot and thank yOu for sharing the amazing world of Warhol!
All I can say is BRILLIANT and inspiring!
Thanks!! 😉
Yes, we New Yorkers take the parking issue seriously especially if you’ve had the misfortune(I and many others have) of a $65 parking ticket! TY for your feedback! 🙂
OH, my, what?!? $65 park ticket…now, that is way beyond my imagination to fathom.
I see why parking gods are sooo valuable…:)
Yep! That is what the minimum parking fine is in NYC. Crazy! 🙁
Yikes!! Make that triple YIKES!!
I have mixed feelings about Warhol. On one hand, most of his pieces don’t really excite me, but I’m always amused and I certainly stop and take notice, so perhaps I’m more positively affected than I recognize! Some of these pieces, like Michael Jackson and Bubbles, have been at LACMA, and I wonder if they are on loan to the Met, or we were borrowing them! LACMA does have a few Warhol pieces, but this particular exhibit seems to show his work in a way that perhaps I’d gain a better feeling for his overall work. Now I’m curious! Thank you, Elizabeth. Good photography! Debra
TY! 🙂 You are welcome Deb and even Warhol was tongue in cheek about some of his work and didn’t always think they were special in an artsy fartsy way. The piece you mention is by Jeff Koons and the show juxtaposes Warhol pieces with contemporary art from others… Many are borrowed from other sources. So far, the reviews I’ve read are mixed, but I always prefer to see an exhibition and make up my own mind, form my own opinions and memories and encourage others to do same… that is priceless. 🙂
Thank you for all your effort in making this blog post. I intent to study more and use your links. 🙂
TY and forgive me if I haven’t stopped by! I’m slowly but steadily making my way to the many hundreds of blogs I love and follow. 🙂
Not too worry – I’ve not blogged much lately – I’m deep into digging up my ancestors, so to speak.
I appreciate the effort you put into your post.
Darylann
Now that sounds interesting. I hope you’d share your results on your blog sometime. TY! 🙂
I’ve touched on it, in one blog post, and there’s so much more. Soon, I’ll write about my great-grandfather who came from Ireland in 1885 to Nova Scotia. 😀
I’ll be right over now to catch up and read. TY! 🙂
I will definitely make an effort to get up there to see this. I learned a lot about him when we lived in Pittsburgh, where he’s originally from. They have an Andy Warhol Museum there.
I don’t have any of his work in my home but I do respect it. Thanks for this post Elizabeth! You’re always so thorough.
b
TY Barb! I bet it will get a huge turnout when/if it turns up in Philly. BTW, did I mention how much I love Philly? Great city. 🙂
Thanks for linking to our post about Liz Taylor’s thank you note to Andy Warhol. We love Warhol and write about him frequently. Again, thank you.
Oh Thank you so much for your feedback too… I appreciate the comment. 😉
Fascinating stuff, I would like to have met him.
Same here Gilly! It would have been memorable. TY! 🙂
Andy Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years. Opens At The Met… Helmsboro Country, Hans Haacke, 1990
That is my fav! You outdid yourself on this post. I love art and this one really resonates with me. I don’t travel, so seeing this and your views and photo’s are simply amazing.
Oh TY dear Jackie! This is what makes me smile too… if someone can sit home, unable to attend, and enjoy the exhibition through the pictures then my goal is accomplished. Thank you !:-)
Thanks for the great photos… takes us right to the Museum…~mkg
Oh TY for checking in Marilyn! Glad you enjoyed it… 🙂
What an interesting fellow he was–indeed! Thanks for posting all the great artwork. I love art!
TY for stopping by to leave a comment Terri. I had a good time at the museum… 🙂
I remember the first time I saw Andy Warhol’s artwork at an exhibit when I was attending art school in Mahattan. He was innovative and eccentric in his approach to art. He was not appreciated in the beginnning. Like all artists who become famous, it seems that when they begin to be accepted they die and then their artwork bcomes exclusive and unaffordable. This is a great write on this exhibit. I hope I have the opportunity to view it before the year is over.
He was a bit of an enigma too. 🙂 I hope you do get to see the exhibit so you can see and enjoy the full range of the selections. TY! 🙂
Where would art be now without Andy Warhol?
Especially Pop Art! 🙂 TY!
Yay! Here I am again. Problem seems to have gone away. 🙂 I love Andy Warhol’s artworlk. That Turquoise Marilyn is wonderful. Thanks for a great write-up, Elizabeth. 🙂
TY Adin for your blog love… I’m glad you are back and that the matter is solved. 🙂
There’s something about the Campbell Soup poster…… I wish I could see this exhibit!
I love it too… something just works about it… Hope you catch it too. TY! 😉
dear Eliz,
I’m not satisfied with Warhol – he should have grabbed the opportunity to make a portrait of YOU, leaving near New York – that would be my favorite Warhol, not necesserary to split that four times like Marylin …
I wish too… and I could have met him if I made the effort to hang out downtown… just kidding! By the time I moved to the US, things were winding down in his group. TY! 🙂
living near NYC…
Living in NYC when he died…
“Exposure and attention make a work famous –
the more you talk about it, the more attention it gets,
the more validity it achieves.” Andy Warhol
P.S.:
that’s also true for a blogger’s work!
So I like to give attention to your blog …
Thank you! And I do same for you, my friend! 😉
Hi Elizabeth:
Here’s the link to my new and improved blog. tracycampbell.net/blog.
Of course, I loved the “Campbell Soup” photo. Wish I owned the company. 🙂
When I was a kid, I used to tell other kids that and that I was related to Glen Campbell (country singer). Tells you how old I am. LOL
I had a great imagination.
You are funny! Hey, why not? A lot of successful people visualized their success and then made it happen… Is there still time to own the Campbell Company? Maybe not but you can create your own with Matilda! 🙂
What a fantastic post Liz. Thank you so much for all your hard work in putting this together. I hope I can make it up to NYC to see the exhibit. I am bookmarking this post so that I can really absorb it. 🙂
P.S. I have been very slow in getting to every one’s blog. And yours. Sorry. Will try to be more consistent.
Peace and Love my friend.
Walter, I’ve been remiss and owe you more visits but health matters and other demands have tempered my efforts… I’m slowly but surely crawling my way through the blogs and will visit soon. TY for your patience and feedback! 🙂
Thank you. I was lucky enough to attend an Andy Warhol exhibit at the Wexner Center at Ohio State University a few years ago. It was amazing. Not quite as big as this exhibit but this brought back some memories. Thanks for sharing this.
Lucky you! 🙂 Thank you for leaving a comment… I enjoyed this one… 🙂
We may be visiting while this exhibit is still showing — thanks for noting this!
Enjoy it! Thank you for stopping by. 😉
This was a lot of fun to read and look through. You did an amazing job of putting together an insightful, visual review and you gave a balanced report. Thanks for all you do and wishing you abundant grace in your efforts.
B
Thank you so much… I wanted to share part of what I saw in a way that others, especially folk who live far away, could view it through my eyes. 🙂
I like your blog a lot — and you took some great photos of the Warhol exhibition! I enjoyed them — they give a good slant on the exhibition. Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
Thank you so much for stopping by to read my post and leave a comment.I took a range of shots that showed interesting pieces I liked and hoped others would like. I’m really glad you enjoyed them. Will visit your blog soon. 🙂
Loved your post! I also featured the exhibit on a recent blog feature:
http://www.rockshic.com/my-blog/2012/09/167-warhol-and-friends.html
Thank you for your comment! I enjoyed the show and loved that camouflage self-portrait shot too. 🙂
I did enjoy this! So much of it I’ve never seen. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Great post! Enjoyed as I will not be able to attend.