Largest collection of Warhol’s artworks ever displayed in Singapore at ArtScience Museum

Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal to showcase celebrated pop artist’s extensive influences Singapore (6 February 2012) From 17 March 2012, the largest collection of iconic works by Andy Warhol will be on display at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands on the 25th anniversary of the artist’s death. The exhibition, sponsored by BNY Mellon and organized by The Andy Warhol Museum in Warhol’s home town of Pittsburgh, chronicles the breadth of Warhol’s career and demonstrates the scope of his interests. Titled after a quote from the popular artist himself, “In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes”, Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal features over 260 paintings, drawings, sculptures, film, and video of the legendary artist’s works, marking the first time such an extensive collection is exhibited in Singapore. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a wide range of associated documents, interactive timelines, photographs, and archival material. Andrew Warhola (6 August 1928 – 22 February 1987), better known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker. He was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as Pop Art and was renowned for using mass production of popular culture such as advertising, comic books, and brand products, as the basis of his art. Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal features his masterpieces including Jackie (1964), Marilyn Monroe (1967), Campbell’s Soup (1961), Silver Liz (1963), Time Capsule 51 (1970’s), The Last Supper (1986), and numerous iconic Self-Portraits. Mr. Nick Dixon, Executive Director, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands, said, “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal will show visitors the multiple facets of Andy Warhol’s talents. Art can come in many forms. Andy Warhol showed the world how various mediums and technology can transform everyday items like Campbell’s soup cans and photos into pop art icons. He had an amazing ability to simplify art and make it accessible to the mass public.” Visitors to the exhibition will journey through four different stages of Andy Warhol’s life, starting from his early artistic years in the 1940’s to his final works in the 1980’s. The exhibition will present an extensive range of important artworks from the various phases of his artistic career. 1. “Early Years” – 1940s to 1950s This gallery will introduce Andy Warhol and the early influences in his art. It will showcase his drawings as a child, his first artworks as a commercial artist and the blotted line technique he created 2. “The Factory Years” – 1960s The 1960’s marked Warhol’s transition from commercial art to business art. It was during this time that he created the iconic masterpieces of the Campbell’s Soup Can and portraits of celebrities such as Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. Films by Warhol will also be presented within this gallery, showcasing his diverse talents. A separate space will be dedicated to recreating the Silver Factory, Warhol’s studio in the 1960’s in New York which was entirely covered with foil. To provide an interesting interactive experience, the space will feature costumes for visitors to dress up and be “a star for 15 minutes”, a photo booth to capture the experience, a reproduction of the couch from the Silver Factory from which visitors can enjoy his avant garde films, and the whimsical Silver Clouds (1966) piece made of floating helium balloons. 3. “Exposures” – 1970s During the 70’s, Warhol’s celebrated use of Polaroids in photographing celebrities came to prominence. During this time, Andy Warhol focused on commissioned portraits to fund his interest in experimental film. This shift in focus is evident in the genre of art works on display such as advertisements and silverprint photographs, which reflect Warhol’s fascination with fame and glamour. It is also during this time that he started creating time capsules which contained meaningful items collected from the various periods of his life. Out of the over 600 time capsules Warhol created throughout his lifetime, visitors will be able to view one that contains over 50 magazines and books. 4. “The Last Supper” – 1980s Having reached the pinnacle of success in the art world, Warhol ventured into television media with Andy Warhol’s T.V. and Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes which visitors will be able to watch in this exhibition space. The diversity of his last decade of creation includes such works as the Endangered Species series, Rorschach series and Oxidation Paintings. The exhibition concludes with The Last Supper and Self Portrait, two iconic masterpieces he created at the very end of his life that are monumental in both scale and the impact they had in the art industry. To cater to young art enthusiasts, a special display for children will be created based on a similar exhibition Andy Warhol did in 1983 at Bruno Bischofberger gallery in Switzerland. Visitors young and old will view art from a child’s perspective – toy paintings will be displayed at a lower eye level. This is the first time this form of viewing has been specially commissioned in Singapore. Mr. Eric Shiner, Director of The Andy Warhol Museum, said, “We are thrilled to be sharing the work of one of America’s most iconic artists with the people of Singapore. Warhol’s large body of work spanning all artistic mediums is fully accessible to audiences around the globe thanks to his use of universally-recognized stars, commercial brands, and other subject matter. Twenty-five years after his death, Warhol’s legacy and importance only continues to grow, and we know that he would be pleased to know his artwork is on display at ArtScience Museum in Singapore for the first time.” Mr. Dixon said, “ArtScience Museum’s goal is to provide visitors an experience that is both immersive and experiential, and is the perfect venue for an exhibition showcasing the art of such an iconic Pop Artist. Through this exhibition, visitors will walk through Andy Warhol’s life, learn about his inspiration, and be inspired by his creativity.” Mr. Steve Lackey, Chairman of Asia-Pacific, BNY Mellon, said: “BNY Mellon’s global commitment to the arts is designed to facilitate access and deeper exploration of art through the communities in which we live and work. We are very proud to be supporting The Andy Warhol Museum and bringing this remarkable body of work to Asia.” Additional corporate supporting sponsors of the Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal exhibition include Christie’s, The Economist and Bloomberg. Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal will run from 17 March 2012 until 12 August 2012. This exhibition is part of the Asian tour that will travel to five cities over 27 months starting in Singapore. It will then move on to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and finally Tokyo in 2014. Boasting an iconic lotus-inspired design, the world’s first ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is the premier venue for major international touring exhibitions from the most renowned collections in the world. Featuring 21 gallery spaces, totaling 50,000 square feet, ArtScience Museum delivers an impressive array of exhibits that embrace a spectrum of influences from art and science, media and technology, to design and architecture. -NT- Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net

• ข่าวMarina Bay Sands
• ข่าวBNY Mellon
• ข่าวo:gen
• ข่าวen