NEW YORK (AP) ― Andy Warhol’s far-reaching impact on contemporary art is the subject of a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met calls it the first major exhibition to explore “the full nature and extent’’ of Warhol’s influence.
“Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years’’ opened Tuesday and runs through Dec. 31. It juxtaposes 45 Warhol works with 100 works in various media by 60 artists, including Richard Avedon, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Chuck Close.
Among the highlights are Warhol’s silkscreen cow wallpaper and pillow balloons ― works that inspired other artists to look beyond the traditional canvas space ― and his full-length acrylic and silkscreen image of graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Works by other artists include Basquiat’s “Untitled (Head),’’ a vibrant image depicting the head of an African-American on the verge of exploding, hung near Warhol’s “Orange Disaster (hash)5’’ of electric chairs, and Jeff Koons’ gold-and-white porcelain statue, “Michael Jackson and Bubbles.’’
The pop artist’s appeal 25 years after his death at age 58 is undeniable, even among mass consumers. The Andy Warhol Foundation recently granted approval for Campbell Soup. Co. to release a series of limited-edition tomato soup cans printed with art by Warhol in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his iconic “32 Campbell’s Soup Cans.’’
The Met exhibition begins with a section titled “Daily News: From Banality to Disaster’’ that explores his fascination with interest in everyday objects such as the Campbell’s soup cans and Brillo Soap Pads Boxes. Examples in this section of other artists include Ai Weiwei’s “Neolithic Vase with Coca-Cola Logo, 2010.’’
A section titled “Portraiture: Celebrity and Power’’ includes his iconic silkscreens “Turquoise Marilyn’’ of Marilyn Monroe and “Red Jackie’’ of Jacqueline Kennedy, shown alongside Close’s “Phil,’’ of composer Philip Glass, Avedon’s “Truman Capote’’ and Francesco Vezzoli’s “Liza Minnelli.’’
In “Queer Studies: Camouflage and Shifting Identities,’’ the exhibition looks at Warhol’s groundbreaking themes of sexuality and gender identity. His “Self-Portait (1986),’’ created the year of his death, is paired with David Hockney’s “Boy About to Take a Shower’’ as well as works by Robert Gober, David Hockney and Douglas Gordon.
The exhibition also deals with Warhol’s appropriation of historic images like his famous Mona Lisa and obsession with endless repetition and patterns. These are paired with works by Richard Prince and Christopher Wool.
