The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum was the place to be last weekend as the directors proudly unveiled the “Andy Warhol: Life & Legends” exhibit. Hundreds of people jammed into the cultural arts center to check out one of the museum’s biggest collections ever. Museum Director Michael Zakian, sporting a pop art bow tie, was at the door, greeting local art lovers.
Along with Dale Chihuly’s magnificent glass collection a few year’s back, Warhol is one of the biggest names Weisman has put on display.
“It’s an extraordinary collection, covering the entire scope of Warhol’s career,” Zakian told Malibu Seen. “It’s all quintessential Warhol.” Many of the works came from the height of the eccentric artist’s popularity in the 1960s and 1970s when he was a regular at famed New York City club Studio 54 where he would hang out with the likes of Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and the hippest hipsters in town.
Pepperdine is about as far as you can get from the raging disco bacchanal at Studio 54, but the art remains the same.
The tame and elegantly clad crowd enjoyed a buffet of tasty canapés, washed down with mineral water or soda while eyeing Andy’s iconic eye-popping display of everyday items elevated to an art form.
Assembling the installation was no easy task either.
“We did different colors in each room, from poppy red to sunshine yellow to turquoise blue,” Zakian said. “It took almost a month to install. The artworks look stunning against backdrop.”
Along with the paintings, lithographs and silk screens are big quotes to punch it up and add to the experience.
“There are a lot of tid bits about Warhol’s life,” Zakian explained. “The message behind the messenger isn’t hard to find. The words tie everything together,” and to give insight to the artist, “there are a lot of fun facts.”
Pepperdine says its aim is to “explore Warhol’s interest in ‘life’ — his interpretation of ‘grand drama of human existence’ — and in ‘legends’ — those people and things that have become famous icons in our culture.”
AW is considered to be one of the major influences in the modern art movement. Almost all his work is based on silkscreen.
The beauty of silkscreen is that he was able to take an image, put it down on paper and turn it into a print. Next, it was printed on canvas, and the result was what he called a proper painting.
Like Marilyn Monroe, other famous faces and his “Campbell’s Soup Cans,” he was obsessed with what he called portfolios — multiple images of the same person or thing in various colors. Several of the most legendary pieces are coveted by local collectors, including Eli Broad.
The spectacular showcase is on loan from the Bank of America Collection. A few pieces are usually displayed on their own or remain in storage. This is a rare opportunity to see the collection as a whole.
Director Zakian couldn’t be happier: “It’s one of the most stunning shows we’ve ever done and is just visually beautiful.”
No doubt about it, this fanciful soup can man is creating quite a stir.
The exhibit at the Weisman Museum will run through April 3.