Andy Warhol - Vanitas

‘Andy Warhol - Vanitas’ focuses on the themes of religion, impermanence and finitude in the work and life of Andy Warhol. Building on the successful ‘Andy Warhol - Revelation (2019)’ at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, this exhibition explores Warhol's fascination with temporality, spiritualism and astrology.

The exhibition explores Warhol's interest in the impermanence of life through paintings and a rarely shown series of drawings of skulls and self-portraits. These works are reminiscent of the 17th-century Vanitas genre in visual art, which symbolises the impermanence of life. Warhol's sense of spirituality and its relationship with the passage of time and physical impermanence are highlighted through multimedia works and archival objects from his Time Capsules.

The exhibition includes 120 works and personal objects from Warhol's archive. Visitors can look forward to the famous series of painted ‘Self Portraits’ (1986) with a ‘fright wig’, the blacklight painting ‘The Last Supper’ (1986), and Marilyn Monroe's ‘Reversal Series’ (1978), a series of screen prints in weathered black-and-white tones. Also on show are iconic screen prints from the ‘Death and Disaster’ series, such as ‘White Burning Car lll’ (1963), and a series of paintings from the ‘Shadows’ (1979) series.

To give a more complete picture of Warhol's life and work, personal objects such as wigs, pink corsets and Chinese astrology charts are also on display. These objects offer an intimate look at Warhol's fascinations and the themes that inspired his art.

‘Andy Warhol - Vanitas’ offers an in-depth look at Warhol's artistic exploration of the transience of life and invites visitors to reflect on the themes of temporality and spirituality. It is a unique opportunity to experience the complexity and depth of Warhol's work and understand how he incorporated these universal themes into his art.