Joseph Beuys, 1980, silkscreen ink on paper, unique. © Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol ‘Portraits’, Olyvia Fine Art, March 17- May 9 2010
Olyvia Fine Art is the venue for an Andy Warhol exhibition that offers the chance to glimpse an unusual combination of the artist's most celebrated work alongside some previously hidden gems.
The latter include a series of ‘Screen-Tests’ featuring a sample of the diverse personalities who once graced his Factory studio.
Warhol’s portraits reflect the artist’s wide circle of subjects, ranging from Hollywood celebrities and academics to political and cultural figures and British royalty.
The show explores a time in Warhol’s life that saw a dramatic and controversial change in his work. Having returned to painting after a break during the late 1960s, he embarked in the 1970s on a new technique that he used to paint commissioned portraits. During this time he effectively became the court painter of 1970s aristocracy.
Karen Lerner, 1972, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas. © Andy Warhol
He developed a style more concerned with the construction of a glamorous surface than the portrayal of his subject’s character.
It was an approach that resulted in a completely original series of work that depicted a time captivated by image and celebrity status, which was a portent of the celebrity obsessed decades that followed.
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