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Warhol & Lichtenstein

June 26 - October 3, 2004

 

The radical work of Pop Art artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein will be exhibited at the Paine Art Center and Gardens, Oshkosh, opening June 26, 2004. From soup cans to superstars, Warhol and Lichtenstein blurred the distinction between high art and popular culture by integrating advertising and comic book images in their artwork. They are the two most influential figures of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s.

Showcasing over forty artworks, the Paine's exhibition will be the first major presentation of the artists in the Fox Valley. Warhol & Lichtenstein has been organized by the Paine Art Center and Gardens and curated by Tracey Fugami, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections. The exhibition will be on view through Sunday, October 3, 2004. Numerous prestigious museums and collections from across the country have loaned works to the exhibition.

The Paine will display Warhol's signature portrait screen prints and Lichtenstein's female depictions alongside each artist's interpretations of nature, such as Landscapes by Lichtenstein and Flower by Warhol. Both themes provocatively relate and contrast to the Paine's world-class art collection of portraits and landscapes. The exhibition includes other highly recognized works by both artists such as, Chicken Noodle by Warhol and Red Lamp by Lichtenstein.

Warhol revolutionized the Pop Art Movement by transforming average, everyday items such as soup cans into celebrated works of art. Born Andrew Warhola in 1928, he grew up in Pittsburgh and moved to New York City in 1949. He secured steady work as a commercial artist by illustrating many popular magazines including Glamour, The New Yorker and Vogue.

Warhol's infamous New York studio called "The Factory" was the site of many renowned avant-garde parties and artistic experiments. His eccentric persona attracted many celebrity writers, actors and artists, and his popularity rose to cult status. Leaving behind masses of devotees, Warhol unexpectedly died of heart failure in 1987 after routine surgery on his gall bladder.

Roy Lichtenstein was born in Manhattan in 1923. He first gained recognition in New York City art world with exhibits of his found-object assemblage works. He tried many artistic styles including abstract expressionism, the dominant art movement of the 1950s, before experimenting with budding pop art imagery.

Lichtenstein's interest in the style of cartoons motivated him to create his signature technique, which incorporates Ben-Day dots, lettering and speech balloons juxtaposed with vibrant primary colors. Lichtenstein worked exhaustively finessing his signature style through painting, printmaking and sculpture until his death in 1997.

Many commonalities exist between Warhol and Lichtenstein. They both explored similar themes in their work including comics, advertisements, politics, portraits and nature. In particular, both Warhol and Lichtenstein used the process of printmaking, which mimicked the commercial sources of their imagery and allowed the artists to easily create multiple pieces.

Sample listing of artworks in the exhibition include:

Andy Warhol's Jackie With Veil from the Andy Warhol Museum
Andy Warhol's Chicken Noodle from the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Andy Warhol's Marilyn from the Haggerty Museum of Art
Andy Warhol's Flower from the Milwaukee Art Museum
Andy Warhol's Rebel without a Cause from the Brooklyn Museum of Art
Roy Lichtenstein's Small House from the Lichtenstein Foundation, New York
Roy Lichtenstein's Shipboard Girl from a Private Collection
Roy Lichtenstein's This Must Be the Place from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation

 

Special Events

 

August 18 - Tracey Fugami
 
Tracey Fugami, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Paine Art Center and Gardens, will talk about her experience in organizing and bringing a major exhibition to the community. She will also give a gallery tour of the exhibit highlighting biographical and thematic aspects of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein's life and work.
 
September 23 - Gail Panske
 
Gail Panske, Chair of the Art Department at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, will present a lecture on the technical aspects of printmaking, methods that Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein both used extensively. She will demystify the print process, as well as, use other artists from the Pop Art movement as examples.
 

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Copyright 2003, 2004 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights reserved.