In 1962, at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, a young artist opened his first solo exhibition in the California city. The works on display are representations of Campbell’s Soup cans made by silkscreen printing and acrylic on canvas. The author is Andy Warhol, and critics panned his compositions as “flat and provocative works.” Nevertheless, from then on his success would be unstoppable.
The exhibition proposed for the Centro Altinate in Padua investigates the poetics of the Pop Art genius, dwelling on his representation of American society and culture. His body of work includes the brands that populated the advertising imagery prevalent in the United States between the 1960s and 1970s: such as the iconic Campbell’s soup. Alongside the brands, Warhol depicts entertainment icons, who are accorded similar treatment to the products. The face of Mick Jagger, Sylvester Stallone or the iconic Marilyn are “treated” as consumer products coated with the same mystical aura with which Warhol rethinks his “objects” to transform them into an artistic artifact.
The exhibition is divided into 9 thematic sections, starting with a biographical portrait of the great New York artist. 150 works including drawings, engravings, silkscreens, Polaroids, sculptures and postcards. A fast-paced journey into the eccentric world of Warhol, the ‘pop icon par excellence.
Source: www.veneto.eu
