While in NYC this week I managed to see “Warhol, A to B and Back Again” at The Whitney Museum of American Art”. My personal Warhol story goes like this. When I was in school at Parson’s, there was an illustration show featuring the famous fashion illustrator, “Antonio”. The students were all invited to the opening and, big surprise, Andy Warhol showed up! Apparently he was a good friend of Antonio. Andy was his celebrity self, dark glasses, shocking white hair, weaving his way though the crowd of admirers when my friend asked him to sign her shirt. He had her turn around and drew a large phallic symbol on the shirt back and scrolled his signature across the yoke of the white oxford button down. Classic Andy. I certainly hope she kept it!
Screen printing is now at the top of my, “must learn to do”, list for 2019. It was fascinating to watch films of him executing some of his famous works. I loved seeing the progression of his early commercial illustrations, the collages of golden shoes, (inspired by people he either knew or wanted to know, like Truman Capote), his graphic paintings, screen prints, films and creativity. The portrait hall was also pretty amazing. I think Aretha Franklyn was my favorite. His collaborative work with Jean Paul Basquiat was super interesting as they would take turns painting over what each artist considered to be the best bits of the work in progress. A love-hate relationship and wildly competitive. The show is up until March 31st if you are in the neighborhood:)
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Thanks! Must share my Warhol story, although I did not meet him in the flesh as you did: One week my eldest son, Cody, and his fiancée, while visiting, were offered an “old, unused” flat in NYC to stay in by his friend Rob from college. Rob’s dad ran Barclay’s worldwide at the time ( later had to resign and take the fall for the LIBOR scandal). Rob was in a new apartment since going sober ( his parents did not want his old drinking buddies to know where to find him?). But in the closet of the old apartment, unhung but leaning against the wall, was an original Warhol ( Cody knew because all Cody, as a first year attorney, could afford was a poster!).
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What was it? The show was really amazing. Check out the Whitney website, they have lots of cool interviews with artists and curators about his work. He was such a character!
Which one was it?