Andy Warhol "Photo Factory" At Fotografiska, NYC
Andy Warhol’s work is getting a new platform at the Fotografiska museum this fall, and it will change the way you think about the pop artist. Warhol is best known for his colorful, whimsical creations, his subjects ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Campbell’s Soup. But these garish paintings are nowhere to be found at 281 Park Avenue South. His rarely seen polaroid and candid shots of his celebrity friends show off his talent for capturing “a famous person doing something unfamous,” to quote Warhol himself.
The Fotografiska Museum originated in Sweden in 2010, with the New York location opening in December of 2019. Since the New York location opened right before the pandemic, they had to adjust online exhibits very quickly. They posted some of his Polaroids, and there was so much public interest that they created an in-person experience this year. The museum also features artists like Ruth Orkin, Sarah Moon, and Maya Lin. What makes this museum unique, though, is its atmosphere. Its motto is “Have fun. Stay late. Get deep. Spill your drink.” The walls are colorful, the music is upbeat, even the elevator is a work of art. These Studio-54-esque elements emphasize the big personalities Warhol was surrounded by, contrasting the simplicity of his photographs.
Born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he contracted a disease called Chorea, at a young age. He was bed-ridden for months, but this is when he first began to draw. He fell in love with art and was behind the camera by age nine. His father tragically passed away when Andy was fourteen, and he demanded all his life savings go to his son’s college education. His father recognized his potential, and this allowed Andy to attend Carnegie Mellon in 1945, majoring in pictorial design. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and immediately moved to New York City to pursue his dream. He worked at Glamour magazine and saw great success as a commercial artist. By the end of the 1950s, Warhol had made a name for himself, and he transitioned to his signature pop-art paintings. The style of his work drew so much attention that he received requests for portraits of Elvis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mick Jagger. His celebrity friendships are the basis of the exhibit that is now on display at Fotografiska.
“It’s about being in the right place at the wrong time,” says Warhol, about capturing the perfect picture. He had a humble nature despite the high regard to which his photos were held. The exhibit features subjects like Dolly Parton and Keith Haring; the contrast of their larger personalities and the mundane image of their everyday life is very odd. Viewers are not used to seeing celebrities, royals, and historic figures in this light; this exhibit not only shows Warhol, but also his subjects, in a brand-new way. One room features photographs of nude male models, mainly the series “Sex Parts and Torsos;” his goal was to blur the line between art and pornography, another side of the photographer that we rarely see. He photographed activists like Marsha P. Johnson, and fashion icons like Diana Vreeland and Gianni Versace. His photographs were raw representations of the individual, stripping away the glamour and pomp that viewers typically see. Fotografiska’s display of Andy Warhol’s unseen work immortalizes pop culture’s most famous personalities in a weird, strikingly simplistic way.
Article by Jessica Bally, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine