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Warhol exhibit nothing ordinary

By ESTHER HAMMER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 21, 2009

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It's hard to look at a Campbell's soup can today without remembering Andy Warhol, the artist who elevated that everyday image to the status of museum art.

Widely regarded as one of the founders of the Pop-Art movement, Andy Warhol 1928-1987 actually drew inspiration from a wide range of subjects. The breadth of his imagination can be fully appreciated in an exhibit of his works that runs through Aug. 16 at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg.

Called "Andy Warhol Portfolios; Life and Legends" the exhibit showcases 67 of Warhol's screen prints. It's the first solo exhibit of Warhol's works for the museum.

"It's a major show in terms of the number of classic Warhol images in it," said museum public relations director David Connelly. "It's very important for us because, of course, Warhol was one of the most influential artists" in the post-World War II era.

Most of the works in the exhibit come from the 1970s and '80s, when Warhol was at the height of his career. They include several of Warhol's signature images, such as the Campbell's soup can and Marilyn Monroe. Additionally, there is a self-portrait and works from other series, such as Mohammad Ali, endangered species, flowers, myths, Mickey Mouse and Superman. All are screen prints.

"The screen prints were such an important part of his legacy," Connelly said. "They were the foundation for almost all of Warhol's art making. The paintings were actually produced from his screen prints."

Trained as a graphic artist, Warhol was keenly drawn to the mass-produced images often used in advertising.

"He took them and transformed them into fine art through the use of color," Connelly said. "They are multiples but they have such a painterly quality. He was such a master of color. I think people will be really impressed with the sheer scale of these and Warhol's bold use of color and unusual juxtaposition of color. And these screen prints are large."

In raising common objects to the lofty status of art, Warhol was challenging the traditional view of what constitutes art. The range of works in the exhibit provides a rare opportunity to appreciate the significance of Warhol's art and his place in the history of art.

The exhibit also includes four screen prints of Warhol by his close friend Keith Haring called "Andy Mouse." Warhol liked Haring's playful images well enough to sign each one. A dramatic black-and-white photograph of Warhol taken a year before his death by Robert Mapplethorpe is also in the exhibit.