EAST TEXAS IS BINGE-WATCHING
ANDY WARHOL
by Todd Camplin
East Texas is binge-watching Andy Warhol. Last year the Tyler Museum of Art had the exhibition titled Andy Warhol: Screen Prints & Snapshots which lasted for three months and just came down. Now the Longview Museum of Fine Arts has their presentation of Warhol in a show titled Rediscovering Andy Warhol. And if you saw the Tyler show, I urge you to also see Longview’s because you will get to see a different perspective on the Pop art icon. If you haven’t seen Andy Warhol in awhile, I urge you to come out and see this show. I have been to several of his shows and I was happy with what I saw at the LMFA.
The majority of the art comes from an East Texas collector. The collection includes several silk-screens from the “Cowboy and Indian series,” a Marilyn, a Birth of Venus, and Moonwalk among other prints. I was excited to see an original large sketch of Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull. Not to mention a rarely seen block print of a fish which is placed low for kids to view. Also, the Meadows Museum of Art in Shreveport loaned several Warhol snapshots. Making for a show of over 30 works by Warhol at the LMFA.
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Much of Warhol’s work is very child accessible, thus I brought my children to the opening. I’m sure Warhol would be happy to know my kids did enjoy the fact an artwork was hung for their viewing pleasure. It was fun to watch people bend down to look at the fish. My seven-year-old daughter camped out at the Lifesavers picture and explained to those at the opening that this was her favorite because of the colors and the candy. People seemed to light up while in front of his bright works. I was told that the image of Theodore Roosevelt was popular with children because they recognize him from the movie Night at the Museum.
In a small gallery, the museum has a display of Robert W. Addison’s process screen-prints. This process piece was a great way to illustrate how Warhol and his assistants made his prints. The museum also took the opportunity to feature highlights from their permanent collection. This was where my 10 year old kept returning to read the labels and comment on the images. With all the activity going on at the opening, I completely missed LMFA’s Art-O-Mat machine. A converted cigarette vending machine that sells a far more dangerous product, art.
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I remember once visiting a show by Andy Warhol in Philadelphia, PA. I overheard a conversation where one was saying Warhol was an American master, while the other person said that the jury is still out on him. I think you’re deluding yourself if you haven’t accepted him into the canon of artists we should study. His influence on the current generation is still strong even 30 years after his death. His images are America. Don’t be afraid to look in the mirror of our culture. Embrace the glitz and glam of your inner Warhol and celebrate his work on view at the Longview Museum of Fine Arts running through March 24th.
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