Everyone has their own Andy Warhol –an elusive figure, the artist is virtually synonymous with American popular culture of the late 20th century. Remarkably, Warhol continues to inform our contemporary moment through his prescient, uncanny grasp of the drama and consequences of capitalism on the American psyche. Steeped in the vernacular of celebrity, propelled by aspirational consumerism, image-driven, and bound together by new forms of media: Warhol tapped into the crux of American culture.
This museum-wide survey exhibition focuses on the biographical underpinnings of Warhol’s practice and specifically expands on the less exposed aspects of his work and persona. Andy Warhol: Lifetimes casts a queer lens over the artist, positioning him as an outsider and disruptor who remade America’s image to resonate within a queer sensibility. This more intimate portrayal of the artist examines the spectral persona Warhol created to transcend the personal, to engage the self as a cultural myth, mirror, and decoder.
Originating at Tate Modern, London, the exhibition has traveled to the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, and Art Gallery of Toronto. The Aspen Art Museum presentation is structured to examine the artist’s life parallel to his work. AAM presents both sides to expand our understanding of Warhol through archival materials from his lived experience, source material, and installations that return us to the foundation of the canonical works on display. Lesser-known bodies of work are combined with iconic Warhol pieces to add new readings and appreciation to an artist of incomparable importance.
In keeping with the Aspen Art Museum’s artist-centered approach, the AAM invited artist Monica Majoli to re-conceptualize the staging of the exhibition, as envisioned by previous iterations.
