Andy Warhol Retrospective is the first
comprehensive exhibition of the work of Andy Warhol
(1928-1987) to be presented in Los Angeles in over 30
years. The only American venue for the retrospective,
MOCA will bring together more than 200 paintings,
drawings, and sculptures by the influential 20th-century
artist, forming one of the most extensive surveys of
Warhol’s work ever mounted in the United States.
This exhibition opens May 25 at The Museum of
Contemporary Art (MOCA) at California Plaza (250
South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles) and
remains on view through August 18, 2002. The
exhibition will occupy the entire 25,000 square feet
gallery space of the MOCA at California Plaza building.
Andy Warhol Retrospective spans the legendary artist’s
entire career, from the early 1940s through 1986, and
features key early works from such landmark series as
Campbell’s Soup Cans, Marilyn, Jackie, Mao, Elvis,
Flowers, Disaster, and Self-Portraits. Organized by
Heiner Bastian for the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin,
the exhibition then traveled to the Tate Modern in
London. MOCA’s presentation will feature key additional
loans secured only for Los Angeles.
The exhibition also includes rare examples of Warhol’s
early drawings dating back to the 1940s, as well as the
first groundbreaking hand-painted, black-and-white
works depicting common objects of the early 1960s. Of
particular focus are the 1960s Disaster
paintings—including iconic themes of Suicide, Electric
Chair, and Car Crash—and early groups of work seldom
seen together, such as the Most Wanted Men. A
selection of Andy Warhols last major series of
paintings, based on Leonardo da Vincis 15th century
painting of Christ and his Apostles at the Last Supper,
will be included in the exhibition. The monumental
paintings based on Leonardos celebrated masterpiece,
are considered among Warhols most significant late
work.
“Andy Warhol was the most important chronicler of the
second half of the 20th century,” said Heiner Bastian,
curator of the exhibition. “His powerful and striking
images capture the beauty and tragedy of the
significant events and icons of his time and his works
have made an indelible mark on contemporary culture.”
MOCA’s unique opportunity to host this extraordinary
exhibition underscores the landmark position that the
city occupies in the history of Warhol’s early work.
Warhol’s first solo exhibition—of Campbell’s Soup Cans
paintings—was presented in Los Angeles at the
legendary Ferus Gallery in 1962, followed by Elvis
Portraits in 1963. In 1970, the Pasadena Art Museum
organized the first American retrospective exhibition to
travel internationally.
“Given Warhol’s close association Los Angeles, it is only
fitting for MOCA to host this landmark exhibition,” said
MOCA Director Jeremy Strick. “We are privileged to bring
Warhol back to Los Angeles and honor his extraordinary
and lasting contributions to the art and culture of our
time.”
Employing mass-production techniques to create works,
Warhol erased traditional distinctions between fine art
and popular culture, subtly blurring the boundaries of
mass art and high culture with his striking
appropriations. His choice of subjects tapped into
important themes: power, fame, and tragedy. With an
unerring eye for iconic images, from common objects to
celebrities and disasters, Warhol produced a lasting
oeuvre that captured the essence of American culture.
His choice of subjects tapped into
important themes: power, fame, and tragedy. With an
unerring eye for iconic images, from common objects to
celebrities and disasters, Warhol produced a lasting
oeuvre that captured the essence of American culture.
“Merrill Lynch is proud to sponsor Andy Warhol
Retrospective, a dynamic exhibition that sheds insight
on an artist whose work changed the context and
vocabulary of contemporary art,” said David H.
Komansky, chairman and chief executive officer, and E.
Stanley O’Neal, president and chief operating officer.
“We are especially pleased to partner with The Museum
of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles Convention and
Visitors Bureau and the City of Los Angeles, in their
commitment to fostering cultural innovation and
excellence in their community.”
Andy Warhol Retrospective has been organized by the
Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and curated by Bastian,
art historian and independent curator. MOCA’s
presentation is coordinated by MOCA Senior Curator Ann
Goldstein.
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