Chicago Is In a Warhol State of Mind
WDCB’s Gary Zidek talks to the Art Institute of Chicago’s executive director of public affairs Kati Murphy about the new retrospective, ANDY WARHOL: FROM A TO B AND BACK AGAIN.
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“The city has really risen to the occasion to welcome the Warhol exhibition. We’ve got restaurants and hotels doing drink specials based on the exhibition. We also have partnered with retailers who are decorating their windows to reflect the Warhol exhibition. The ubiquity of Warhol in Chicago right now is kind of cool.” - Art Institute of Chicago public affairs executive director Kati Murphy talking about the excitement in Chicago surrounding ANDY WARHOL: FROM A TO B AND BACK AGAIN.
Kati Murphy, Art Institute of Chicago’s executive director of public affairs
Over 30 years after his death, Andy Warhol remains incredibly influential on contemporary art and culture. His thoughts on fame and celebrity seem especially prescient today, and some of his works are among the most recognizable pieces of art in the world. Yet, Warhol’s talent and depth of thought are sometimes overshadowed by his carefully crafted public persona. The new exhibit, ANDY WARHOL: FROM A TO B AND BACK AGAIN, offers a more comprehensive view of the artist. The retrospective originated at the Whitney Museum in New York last year, then went to San Francisco this past summer and is now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago through January 26.
MAO. Andy Warhol, 1972.
The retrospective, which includes over 400 works, covers Warhol’s career from his time as a commercial illustrator in the 1950’s to pieces he created right before his death in 1987.
One of Warhol’s first business cards and an early drawing.
DOUBLE ELVIS. Andy Warhol, 1963
BRILLO BOX (SOAP PADS). Andy Warhol, 1964.
“He had quite a bit of depth to the work he did. There were different personas that embodied when he was creating the work and I’d like for people to say Warhol wasn’t just celebrity portraits, he was doing things that were different, beyond the things that I know.” - the Art Institute’s Kati Murphy talking about what her hopes for what visitors take away from the exhibit.
PARAMOUNT. Andy Warhol & Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1984-85.
