If you haven’t waited in the epic lineup at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City to see the Andy Warhol exhibit, it’s worth the wait. Until March 31, catch the ultimate art star’s sprawling retrospective which essentially shows he was the ultimate starfucker (in the best way possible). Here are three revelations on the exhibit from a quick run through the museum’s multi-floor exhibit.
His celebrity painting series connected him with everyone
Warhol painted hundreds of commissions of celebs from 1968 to his death in 1987, including Liza Minnelli, Leo Castelli and Dolly Parton, all of which started with a quick snapshot he took with his Polaroid camera. He called these portraits “business art,” as they funded his less-commercial projects, and have been referred to as Warhol’s hall of fame. Warhol’s collection of celebrity portraits here are on the main floor, showing Blondie singer Debbie Harry to David Bowie. Mega wow.
He carved out a nice of celebrity culture with Interview magazine
An iconic part of the exhibit is all the lined up Interview magazine covers from the 1980s that show stars like Joan Rivers and John Travolta on the covers. Interview was founded in 1969 to promote his own art and underground films grew to become an iconic pop culture bible of celebrity culture, with each issue featuring a conversation between two cultural bigwigs. The cover portraits were by illustrator Richard Bernstein.
Warhol created reality TV before it even existed
Warhol not only created the legendary Interview magazine, which still runs to today, but he took a take at reality TV before the medium even existed. In 1979 (before MTV), he created 42 TV episodes, which he coined as “a fashion magazine on TV,” where he interviewed friends and celebs. Who can really forget Andy Warhol’s T.V., which ran from 1980–83? “I’ve always believed in television,” he once said. “A television day is like a twenty-four-hour movie. The commercials don’t really break up the continuity. The programs change yet somehow remain the same.”
Warhol not only created the legendary Interview magazine, which still runs to today, but he took a take at reality TV before the medium even existed. In 1979 (before MTV), he created 42 TV episodes, which he coined as “a fashion magazine on TV,” where he interviewed friends and celebs. Who can really forget Andy Warhol’s T.V., which ran from 1980–83? “I’ve always believed in television,” he once said. “A television day is like a twenty-four-hour movie. The commercials don’t really break up the continuity. The programs change yet somehow remain the same.”
Text by Nadja Sayej
Images via warhol.org, artnet, pinterest
Images via warhol.org, artnet, pinterest
