Exhibit Features "Andy Warhol's Athletes" At Fleming Museum

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UVM’s Fleming Museum is presently hosting one of the most unique Andy Warhol exhibits in the country. Called “Andy Warhol’s Athletes,” the exhibit displays a series of Andy Warhol silkscreen portraits of famous athletes. Warhol created the series in 1977 after being commission by his friend, Richard Weisman.

 

The Andy Warhol silkscreens on display portray famous athletes including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chris Evert, Pele, Jack Nicklaus, Rod Gilbert, Willie Shoemaker, Muhammad Ali, O.J. Simpson, Tom Seaver, Dorothy Hamil, and others. Although today we have evidence of regular co-mingling between the sports world and the art world thanks to artists like Leroy Neiman and Peter Max, at the time Andy Warhol painted his “Athletes” series it was very rare. Andy Warhol was not a sports lover, but agreed to do the commission because of his friendship with Richard Weisman, and allegedly also because he thought many of the athletes were “handsome.” Even though we see more connection between sports and art today than we did during Warhol’s era, it is still an anomaly, especially on college campuses. The University is hopefully that this exhibit may get college athletes who have never set foot in the Fleming Museum to try something new. And beyond campus, they are very excited at the potential to open up the art of Andy Warhol to audiences that may have little interest otherwise. The connection between sports and Andy Warhol is unique, unexpected, and provided a great opportunity to broaden the traditional gallery audience experience.

 

In the original series, Warhol made eight sets of 10 silkscreen prints, each with unique colors and poses. The Fleming museum will show one set of the series, set on 40x 40 canvases. The Fleming museum has built a legacy of Andy Warhol art features in recent history. This is the third special Andy Warhol exhibit for the museum in the last 10 years, following up on 2003’s “Andy Warhol at Work & Play” and 2010’s Warhol polaroid display. The museum also features two Warhol’s in their permanent collection, a canvas silkscreen print of a cow and one of his iconic Campbell’s soup cans printed on a white shopping bag.

 

Andy Warhol is largely considered the most influential artist of the second half of the twentieth century. Considered the father of the pop art movement, his screen printing technique and his unique found object subject matter transformed the way the public looked at art. He also became the first great American artist-celebrity. The Andy Warhol foundation keeps a tight leash on what Andy Warhol exhibits are allowed. To pass the test, they want exhibits to portray a cohesive theme and an element of Andy Warhol’s work revealing unique qualities about the artist and featuring rare art. The Fleming museum’s “Andy Warhol’s Athletes” exhibits meets all of this criteria perfectly, offering a rare opportunity to see some of Warhol’s lesser known subject matter.

 

The “Andy Warhol’s Athletes” exhibit will be on display from March 19 through May 19th in the Fleming Museum’s Walcott Gallery.

 

 

 

Story by Vermont Public Radio

 

 

 

 

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