A new exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia presents a retrospective exhibition of the works of Andy Warhol showing how he was influenced by a career-long use of photography
Oliviero Toscani, Italy, born 1942, Andy Warhol, 1975, New York, pigment print, 32.0 x 46.0 cm (image), 40.0 x 50.0 cm (sheet); Public Engagement Fund 2021, Art Gallery of South Australia, © Oliviero Toscani.
As well as artworks based upon photographic images, the exhibition includes shots of celebrities such as Debbie Harry, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, John Lennon and Liza Minnelli. There are candid photographs of Truman Capote at his plastic surgeon’s, Yves Saint Laurent gossiping with Lauren Bacall, Jack Nicholson gazing fondly Anjelica Huston and ‘best friends’ Dolly Parton and Keith Haring. During his lifetime, Warhol made extensive use of cameras to document his everyday life. The display presents a total of 285 photos (many of them shown for the first time) alongside paintings, screen prints and experimental films. The exhibition also contains archival material in the form of books and magazines and examples of the types of cameras Warhol used between 1969, when he started using Polaroid cameras and 1987, when he died unexpectedly from cardiac arrest following gall bladder surgery.
There are also portraits of Warhol by well-known photographers like Duane Michals, Bob Adelman, Nat Finkelstein, David McCabe and Steve Schapiro as well as photobooth self-portraits from 1963. A highlight of the show is a pair of portfolios featuring candid portraits of friends and celebrities including Francis Bacon, Halston, David Hockney, Jackie Onassis, Paloma Picasso, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Vreeland. The display also has an old-time photobooth set up for visitors to use at $8 a pop (four $2 coins) to keep as souvenirs.
Andy Warhol and Photography: A Social Media will be on show at the Art Gallery of South Australia until 14 May.
