POP ART PIONEER ANDY WARHOL’S ORIGINAL WORK GOES ON DISPLAY
After more than two years of planning, River City Bangkok is pleased to announce that 128 original works and pieces of memorabilia owned by an Italian collector will go on display in “Andy Warhol: Pop Art” from May 1 until Aug 16 at RCB Galleria, River City Bangkok.
“Andy Warhol: Pop Art” showcases four categories of work: Self-Portraits and Photos; Celebrity Portraits; Magazine and Album Covers; and Silk Printing and Others. Portraits include Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali (1978), Marilyn (1981), Elvis I And II (1964-1978), The Velvet Underground And Nico (1967). Other works on show are Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine Covers, Brillo Box (1970), Dollar (1981-1982), Flowers (1964), Campbell’s Soup
Can (1967), and Cow (1971).
Andy Warhol was born on Aug 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a successful commercial artist working in advertising and magazine publishing. Later, in the 1960s, he became a well-known pop artist who choreographed performing art, directed films, produced video installations and wrote extensively about his life and experiences.
He blurred the lines between fine art and mainstream culture. Warhol died at the age of 58 of ventricular fibrillation on Feb 22, 1987, in New York City.
Warhol introduced pop art to the world with his unique style and perspective at a time of growth, development and increased public appetite for advertising, filmmaking, television, books, magazine and fashion. Aside from people in creative fields, Andy Warhol inspired the growing middle classes in America and later the world. Even though he passed away 33 years ago, his prediction: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” is pertinent today. As are: “I think everybody should be nice to everybody” and “People should fall in love with their eyes closed.”
When he graduated from college with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1949, Warhol moved to New York City to pursue a career as a commercial artist. It was also at this time that he dropped the “a” at the end of his last name to become Andy Warhol. He landed a job with Glamour magazine in September and went on to become one of the most successful commercial artists of the 1950s. He won frequent awards for his uniquely whimsical style, using his own blotted line technique and rubber stamps to create his drawings.
In 1964, Warhol opened his own art studio, a large silver-painted warehouse known simply as “The Factory”. The Factory quickly became one of New York City’s premier cultural hotspots, a scene of lavish parties attended by the city’s public figures.
“Dictatorship at the Door, Democracy on the Floor” is how Andy Warhol famously described Studio 54. Warhol, who clearly relished his celebrity status, became a fixture at infamous New York City nightclubs like Studio 54 that opened its door to A-list stars like Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Bianca Jagger and so many more.
Early bird tickets are now available until 30 April via ticketmelon.com/rivercitybangkok/andywarhol, 300 baht for adults and students, 200 baht for seniors.