Vivid and Educational Exhibition of Works by Andy Warhol on View at Cleve Carney Museum of Art
Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup cans, 1969 from a portfolio of two screen prints on paper, 28/250. Bank of America Collection
By GINNY VAN ALYEA
Robert Mapplethorpe (American, 1946-1989), Andy Warhol, 1986. Gelatin silver print, 5/10. Bank of America Collection
Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop/Works from the Bank of America Collection opened last week in suburban Glen Ellyn at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art. Typically this is the time of year when the museum opens its annual major exhibition to draw art collectors, supporters and others west of the city to this mighty museum that is part of the College of DuPage.
The Warhol Exhibition includes 94 works from from the Bank of America Collection on loan through Bank of America’s Art in our Communities program. Spanning multiple floors and even spilling into an exterior courtyard/lawn space, there are over 11,000 sq. ft. of interactive experiences including a Biographical exhibit, Video installation, 150+ photos taken by Warhol, Children’s Print Factory, Studio 54 experience and a Central Park-inspired outdoor space where you can sip your coffee in a special Warhol exhibit themed tumbler.
The core of the exhibition is the collection of Bank of America, but all around the works displayed in the museum's main gallery space there are biographical sections that discuss the span of Warhol's life and the arc of his phenomenal career, from his childhood in Pittsburgh to when he encountered inspirational artist contemporaries like Claes Oldenburg, to why he started Interview magazine (to curry favor and proximity with celebrities) to what led him to create The Factory. Along the way helpful wall-stickers accompany text and illustrate timelines and decades. Some works of art have also been created by artists living today who continue to be inspired by Warhol, such as a tower of Brillo-like boxes and a wall installation of famous residents of DuPage County (Tom Skilling, Jim Belushi, and Jeopardy's James Holzhouer, among many others) that is part of The DuPage Warhol Pop Art Challenge
The children's section is also back. I enjoyed this area with my children when we visited the Frida Kahlo exhibition two years ago. There is no end to the inspiration here and there are lots of fun art materials just at the right level for a creative child.
The exhibition is up until September 10, and there are dozens of related programs and talks taking place throughout the summer, both at the museum and in the area.
Tickets, programs and additional information may be found here.
At the start of the exhibition a section explores Warhol's childhood and the impact of many factors and institutions, such as his family regular attendance at church, where the religious imagery and bold colors used in various Biblical scenes may have influenced Warhol's later use of color. He also greatly admired the actress Shirley Temple and pored through celebrity magazines himself as a child when convalescing.
Todd Irwin, Silkscreen on board, 17" × 17" × 14", 2023. Heart and Bones Signs Hand painted Boxes, 17" × 17" x 14", 2023. These original sculptures created by Todd Irwin and Heart and Bones Signs are contemporary responses to Warhol's Brillo Box sculptures.
Various covers of Interview magazine, which Warhol founded in 1969 and led until his death in 1987. Celebrity interviews were usually unedited.
A view of Flowers, 1970 (left) and Sunset I–IV, 1972 (right)
Keith Haring (American, 1958-1990), Andy Mouse, 1986. Portfolio of four screenprints, 28/30. Bank of America Collection. "It's like treating him [Warhol] like he was part of American culture, like Mickey Mouse was. That he himself had become a symbol, a sign for something complete, universally understandable. He sort of made this niche for himself in the culture. As much as Mickey Mouse had." – Keith Haring
Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century, 1980. Portfolio of ten screenprints on Lenox Museum Board, 127/200. Bank of America Collection. The Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century portfolio was Warhol's first collaboration with Ronald Feldman Fine Arts. In most instances, Warhol would simultaneously render the same subject matter on canvas and paper. For each of these series, the artist and his dealer would amass long lists of possible items for inclusion and would then whit tle them down to the ideal number of ten images. Warhol referred to his Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century series as the "Jewish geniuses" project. Ranging from the well-known Gertrude Stein and George Gershwin to the relatively obscure Louis Brandeis and Martin Buber, these portraits were based on preexisting images.
Geoff Bevington, DuPage Pop Art Challenge 2023. In the spirit of Andy Warhol's fascination with fame, celebrity, and icons we challenged each town in DuPage County to identify the four most famous people in their community. Bevington then created digital Warhol-style portraits based on photos that were provided, and they were blown up into murals to be proudly displayed in their respective region. Each area used different criteria, some chose home-town heroes, other veered to historic founders, and some went for fame, but all resulted in civic pride through public art.
