Gallery goes pop for tribute to Warhol
His work still adorns the walls of trendsetters across the world, decades after he first burst on the scene – and now a new exhibition of pieces by Andy Warhol has brought his iconic work to Wolverhampton.
The display at Wolverhampton Art Gallery has just been launched and brings together an influential collection of paintings and posters for the first time.
A dedicated Andy Warhol "artist room" with works dating from the 1960s through to the last years of his life in the late 1980s has been set up and staff are expecting it to pull in thousands of visitors over the next few months.
Warhol, who died in February 1987 aged 58, was a leading figure of the Pop Art movement and inspired many younger artists and performers including David Bowie, who wrote the song Andy Warhol in his honour.
The exhibition is running for the next six months at the Lichfield Street gallery, ending on September 21. Art Gallery senior official Marguerite Nugent said: "The Andy Warhol exhibition is extremely popular and we're expecting lots of families over the Easter holidays.
"The mix of iconic images, an unusual display and interactive features are really appealing to young people."
Highlights include posters and portraits of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and former three-times world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, both icons of the Swinging Sixties.
The exhibition also includes the celebrated six-part painting Skulls, the mural-size work Camouflage and Warhol's Self-Portrait.
The art gallery's own original Warhol piece Jacqueline, based on a press photo of Jackie Kennedy at her husband's funeral, will also be part of the exhibition. The display is the first solo show in the new Pop Art Gallery, which opened as an innovative extension to the main gallery building in March 2007.
The show is supported by pop culture items such cameras similar to the ones used by Warhol, clothing from the period and music which inspired and was inspired by him.
The exhibits are taken from art collected by dealer turned philanthropist Anthony d'Offay, which was acquired for the nation in 2006 and is now on display at the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.
As part of a series of supporting events to coincide with the display there will be a talk by Anthony d'Offay on May 30.
For more information on other events go to www.wolverhamptonart.org. uk
