Event Item: 00109

Andy Warhol's Athlete Portraits star in American Pop Exhibition

Exhibition: 16th Aug 2008 to 2nd Nov 2008

Source: http://www.crockerartmuseum.org

From Lichtenstein to Warhol, the art of the controversial Pop Art movement will be on exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum August 16 - November 2, 2008. American Pop: Featuring Andy Warhol's Athletes from the Richard Weisman Collection highlights 36 works drawn from major private collections as well as the Crocker's own and probes how artistic introspection of the 1960s developed into the ultimate endorsement of 1970s celebrity.

The show includes two Sacramento artists' unique stamp on the Pop Art movement: Wayne Thiebaud, whose painterly layering of pigment defined his vision of lunch counter confections and Barbara Spring, who turned found drift wood into cunning depictions of roast beef, sliced ham, coconut cake and petit fours.

Highlighting Pop's ultimate expression is the exhibit's special display of Andy Warhol's Athletes Series. Begun in 1977 and completed in 1979, these 10 portraits capture the decade's athletic superstars with the late 20th-century's stamp of fame-a Warhol silk-screen. How Warhol came to photograph and "paint" Dorothy Hamill, Muhammad Ali, Pelé and Jack Nicklaus reveals the ongoing importance of friendships between patrons and artists in contemporary art. In September, Athletes owner Richard Weisman will speak with college students about the inspiration behind the series and his career as a collector.

The exhibition demonstrates that while Warhol, James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos created signature Pop works, a wide variety of often surprising artists were also drawn to explore the new subject matter. This broad adoption shows how Pop Art represented both a prevailing mood and an important influence. Critics decried the celebration of Pop, but the fast acceptance of the movement by artists and collectors alike signaled a seismic shift in American life.

The Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814