03.09.16 - 08.01.17.
Marilyn Monroe greets the viewer with her inscrutable smile and, to many, Warhol’s colourful picture of this illustrious diva is the very essence of pop art. Most of us associate Andy Warhol with bright colours, glossy surfaces, and mass-produced works such as the Campbell Soup Cans and colourful celebrities. What was the man behind these iconic works of art really like?
The saying ‘In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes,’ is commonly attributed to Andy Warhol. But was it, in actual fact, he who coined it? The myths about Warhol sometimes overshadow the facts and what we know about him is very much rooted in people’s imagination.
In HEART’s upcoming exhibition Andy Warhol – the Man behind the Myth, we leave the traditional image of Warhol behind, delving deeper into the man himself. Through themes of death, sexuality, and religion, we will try to catch a glimpse of the fabled father of pop art. The exhibition features a number of works and effects not previously shown in Denmark.
The exhibition pivots on the themes of death, faith, and sexuality. With the work series Disasters and Suicides, we focus on Warhol’s ambition about giving death an artistic expression while his many dietary books and obsessive preoccupation with health is a testimony to his very fear of it. The exhibition also focuses on the conflicting aspects of Warhol’s religious life and his homosexuality. The work The Last Supper and the artist’s personal, tattered prayer book attest to his strong faith while the self-portraits with Warhol wearing a wig and women’s clothing point in a different direction.
Andy Warhol – the Man behind the Myth will be featuring the classic Warhol works, but will also attempt to open visitors’ eyes to the narrowly defined currents contained in Warhol’s art. The extensive collection of personal effects contains everything from books about health and diets to homosexual pornography, giving us a unique glimpse of the artist as a private person.
Facts
- The exhibition is open from 3 September 2016 – 8 January 2017.
- The Warhol exhibition at HEART is the most extensive held in Denmark since the one at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, near Copenhagen, in 2000.
- The exhibition will feature a number of Andy Warhol’s private effects, including his prayer book and his private collection of homosexual pornography.
- More than 80 works are loaned by the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh along with 10 works by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art for this exhibition.
- The work Ten punching bags (1985-86) created jointly by Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat is shown for the first time in Europe.
If you need press photos or more information please contact Anne Ravn ar@heartmus.dk