Press Release The Andy Warhol Museum Announces Warhol By the Book, Opening October 2015

Warhol By the Book

October 10, 2015 – January 10, 2016

The Andy Warhol Museum announces Warhol By the Book, the first United States exhibition to concentrate on Andy Warhol’s book work. Warhol By the Book opens at The Warhol Saturday, October 10, 2015, and it is on view through Sunday, January 10, 2016.

This exhibition, curated by The Warhol’s Chief Archivist Matt Wrbican, presents Warhol’s book work, from early student-work illustrations of the late 1940s, through to his career as a commercial artist in the 1950s, Pop artist and underground filmmaker in the 1960s, and photographer and Pop culture icon of the 1970s–80s.

“Warhol lived most of his life in the pre-digital era, when books and other printed materials were everywhere. Much of his effort was given to creating work for print, especially in books,” says Wrbican. “Some of his lesser-known work for books can even be said to mark major turning points in his work, such as around 1960, when he decided to move from charming illustrations to serious fine art in the then-daring new mode of Pop Art.”

Warhol continually experimented in his work, and this freedom is evident in his books, which often question the common notion of what a book can be. Andy Warhol’s Index (Book) (1967), was the first of several publications to defy the definition of what a book could be. This seminal work is complete with sound recordings, balloons, fold-outs, holograms, pop-ups, and even a do-it-yourself nose job. While Warhol authored many books (in collaboration with his assistants), these efforts are often overlooked, though they provide a valuable window into Warhol’s creative interests. Warhol By the Book provides a nearly complete overview of Warhol’s work on books. More than 400 objects relating to more than 80 book titles including unfinished projects, original drawings, manuscripts, paintings, prints, photographs, artist’s books, and other materials that reveal his processes in their creation are featured in the exhibition. Many of the books are presented on digital tablets, as well as the original printed editions, to allow for a more complete viewing experience.

This exhibition is supported in part by Affirmation Arts Fund.

EXHIBITION RELATED PROGRAMS

In Discussion: Chief Archivist Matt Wrbican with author and food historian Susan Rossi-Wilcox
Friday, November 6, 2015
7 p.m.

The Warhol theater

Join us for a discussion of the limited edition 1959 cookbook Wild Raspberries, which Warhol illustrated. Susan Rossi-Wilcox and Matt Wrbican co-curated an exhibition on this book at The Warhol in 2008.
FREE

OUT OF THE BOX: Time Capsule opening with Cataloguer Erin Byrne, Chief Archivist Matt Wrbican, and special guest Benjamin Liu
Friday, November 13, 2015
7 p.m.

The Warhol theater

Chief Archivist Matt Wrbican, Cataloguer Erin Byrne, and former Warhol assistant Benjamin Liu open Time Capsule 71, one of Warhol’s 610 Time Capsules that is filled with books, a few of which are displayed in the exhibition.
Tickets $10 / $8 members & students; visit www.warhol.org or call 412.237.8300

In Discussion: Chief Archivist Matt Wrbican with art historian Lucy Mulroney Saturday, November 14, 2105
2 p.m.
The Warhol theater

The discussion focuses on the importance of The Warhol’s archival collection, as well as that of Syracuse University, where Lucy Mulroney is the curator of special collections. Mulroney discusses many recent discoveries that she made, while working on her PhD, regarding the books Warhol produced in the 1960s.

FREE

In Discussion: Chief Archivist Matt Wrbican with author Jamie Warhola Saturday, December 5, 2015
2 p.m.
The Warhol theater

Jamie Warhola, award-winning illustrator and one of Warhol’s 10 nieces and nephews, discusses his Uncle Andy’s illustrations for children’s books, such as in The Best in Children’s Books from the late 1950s and early 1960s.
FREE