Andy Warhol stars in San Marino with the exhibition Serial Identity

Andy Warhol stars in San Marino. FromJuly 8 to October 8, 2023, in fact, the capital of the Titan republic, City of San Marino, will host in the two venues of Palazzo SUMS and the National Gallery the exhibition Andy Warhol. Serial Identity. Curated by Maurizio Vanni and Emma Zanella, the exhibition, which saw its first wave of success at the MA*GA museum in Gallarate (Varese), brings together a body of masterpieces from important private collections and international institutions such as the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

Through a selection of more than 60 works, the exhibition presents thecreative universe of one of the most emblematic figures of American painting: from his early drawings made for publishing and fashion to his most important pop works, passing through a collateral section that brings together the vinyls of iconic bands, such as the Velvet Underground and the Rolling Stones, whose covers Warhol signed, and the books that see him as author and illustrator, as well as the legendary Interview Magazine, founded by the artist himself in 1969. That section is hosted at the National Gallery together with a focus on the so-called Death and Disasters theme with the famous Electric Chairs: it was in fact with a work belonging to this series that the artist participated, in 1967, in the sixth San Marino Biennial at the invitation of Giulio Carlo Argan.

Opening the exhibition are some drawings that highlight the young Warhol’s beginnings in 1950s New York, when he worked as an advertising designer and illustrator of books and magazines. From the early 1960s, seriality allowed him to go beyond the uniqueness of the artwork and find a stylistic signature that would make him unmistakable and famous throughout the world. The famous silkscreen works dedicated to Marilyn Monroe and Mao, the Flowers, the Cow, and Campbell’s Soup date from these years.

During the 1970s his research was enriched with content and new images taken from the mass media from which were born the numerous portraits of famous people in the fields of entertainment, art, fashion such as Liza Minnelli, Joseph Beuys and many others. In 1975 Warhol made the series entitled Ladies and Gentlemen dedicated to transvestites and drag queens of African-American and Hispanic origin: characters suitable for those who, like Warhol, wanted to investigate the various aspects of the “Society of the Spectacle.”

We then come to thepop universe of the 1980s, recounted by the artist in the famous television productions presented in the exhibition with a documentation of Andy Warhol’s T.V. - Special Project, a video compilation co-produced by MA*GA, MEET Digital Culture Center and SEA, already exhibited at Milan Malpensa Airport, Terminal 1 - The Gateway to Milan: a cross-section of the international art scene with a dynamic montage of interviews, fashion shows and musical hits. All original content was on loan from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The exhibition is produced by the MA*GA Museum and Spirale d’Idee (MI), in collaboration with the City of Gallarate, the San Marino Secretariat of State for Education and Culture, the San Marino Department of Tourism and Culture, and the San Marino Cultural Institutes, and supported as main partner by Cassa di Risparmio della Repubblica di San Marino S.p.A. Thanks are extended to Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Lavori Pubblici and Visit San Marino for their collaboration.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by Nomos Edizioni with texts by Maurizio Vanni, Emma Zanella, Luciano Bolzoni, Federica Crespi, Michela Guasco, Michele Lombardelli, Luca Palermo, and Marco Senaldi.

At Palazzo SUMS, the exhibition opens daily, July 8 to Sept. 9 with hours 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sept. 10 to Oct. 8 with hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (box office closes half an hour before the exhibition). At the National Gallery open daily, July 8 to Sept. 9 with hours 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sept. 10 to Oct. 8 with hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (box office closes half an hour before the exhibition). Tickets: full price € 12.00, reduced price € 10.00.

Andy, Marilyn

Andy Warhol stars in San Marino with the exhibition Serial Identity

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