‘Sex Parts’ and shadows

Is it possible to go to a grocery store and not think of the “Campbell’s Soup Can” print in the soup aisle?

Is it possible to look at the “Campbell’s Soup Can” on the wall of the High Museum this summer and not think about the effects the rise of consumerism had on the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and ‘70s?

Those are some of the things Portland, Oregon, art collector Jordan Schnitzer wants visitors to think about as they take in the more than 250 works on display from his family’s collection of Andy Warhol pieces. The “sweeping retrospective,” which features a number of prints showcasing themes of Warhol’s life as a gay man, will be at the High through Sept. 3.

Though he’s best-known for his serial prints featuring the late actress Marilyn Monroe and Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong — both of which are centerpieces in the High exhibition — a number of pieces in Warhol’s portfolio speak to his sexuality.

Toward the end of the exhibit walk-through is a small room cordoned off with a warning of adult content. In this space is a set of blackand-white prints depicting the intimate details of two men engaging in sexual acts.

This is “Sex Parts,” and these pieces speak directly to Warhol’s life behind closed doors.

“I think they’re stunning, as is all of Andy Warhol’s work artistically,” Schnitzer said.

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN

CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

June 23, 2017