Exhibition to Feature 94 Works from Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop / Works from the Bank of America Collection
Following the success of the summer 2021 blockbuster exhibition, Frida Kahlo: Timeless, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at the College of DuPage (COD) will present an exhibition of Andy Warhol in the summer of 2023.
The exhibition will feature 94 works from Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop / Works from the Bank of America Collection on loan through Bank of America’s Art in our Communities® program. The exhibition, scheduled for June 3 – Sept. 10, 2023, will also include over 100 works from the College of DuPage Permanent Art Collection.
Tickets are on sale now at: https://www.theccma.org/warhol
“It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to present work by an artist who embodies so much of the American dream. He captured American culture, iconography, and society in such a relatable way,” said MAC Director Diana Martinez. “We are working hard at the College of DuPage to transform our arts center into an unforgettable experience and create partnerships throughout the community to welcome Warhol fans near and far to DuPage County.”
Notable works from the College of DuPage Permanent Art Collection include Warhol’s 1980 screen-printed portrait of Joseph Beuys as well as his iconic $ (1983). The exhibition will also present over 100 photographs by Warhol from the college’s permanent collection, comprised of both black-and-white gelatin silver prints and color Polaroid prints featuring unidentified figures and celebrities alike. These photographs offer a rare and intimate glimpse into Warhol’s New York of the 1970’s and 80’s.
The exhibition will encompass both the CCMA and the MAC, unfolding across roughly 10,000 square feet of exhibition space. Educational and interactive elements will include a historical timeline, video archive installation, interactive mural, children’s print factory area, Studio 54 experience and Central Park, creating an immersive, multifaceted exhibition focused on the life and work of one of the most influential artists of the past century.
“Andy Warhol’s work and celebrity redefined what it meant to be an artist and created a model that is still followed by artists today,” said CCMA Curator Justin Witte. “In many ways we are still living in Warhol’s world. I am extremely excited to be partnering with Bank of America on bringing this amazing exhibition to the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center.”
The works from Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop / Works from the Bank of America Collection will include portfolios and individual prints by Warhol, starting with iconic works from the mid-1960’s to the series of monoprints Vesuvius (1985). These prints demonstrate many aspects of Warhol’s art, including his brilliance as a colorist, which can be seen in the early Flowers and Sunset series. In later series, Warhol experimented with the silkscreen printing process to create complex surface layers.
“Bank of America believes that equitable access to the arts is essential to creating greater cultural understanding and building thriving communities,” said Rita Cook, president of Bank of America Chicago. “Through our Arts in our Communities® program, we’re able to share important pieces of artwork from our collection with museums and nonprofit galleries, broadening both the reach and impact of these cultural treasures. It’s a privilege to partner once again with the College of DuPage and to share this unique exhibit with Warhol fans and enthusiasts across Chicagoland.”
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987) was a central figure in the Pop Art movement that emerged in the U.S. in the early 1950s and is the most recognizable artist of the second half of the twentieth century. Warhol worked across media, including painting, sculpture, film and printmaking. Warhol’s printed multiples were central to his practice allowing him to explore the aesthetics and mechanics of mass-produced images and popular culture. Through these prints, Warhol exhibited his mastery at identifying the defining cultural images of his time. Examples include the Wicked Witch of the West, Superman and Howdy Doody along with the Myths portfolio featuring his self-portrait.
Warhol’s prints were not only concerned with pop-culture and celebrity, but also touched on other themes. Warhol’s Endangered Species series grew out of his concern for the environment. In 1979, with Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century, Warhol departed from his repeated images format to create a series of iconic images based on a single theme. The exhibition and programming will be led by MAC Director Diana Martinez and CCMA Curator Justin Witte.
About Bank of America Art in our Communities®
The Bank of America Art in our Communities® Program was established in 2009 in order to share the company’s art collection with the widest possible audience. Comprising the art collections of the predecessor banks that are now part of Bank of America, the program offers museums and nonprofit galleries the opportunity to borrow complete or customized exhibitions at no cost. The public is able to enjoy new art installations at its local museums, while the museums themselves are able to generate vital revenue. Since 2009, more than 140 exhibitions have been loaned through this one-of-a-kind program.
About the Cleve Carney Museum of Art
The late Cleve Carney provided a significant legacy gift to establish the Cleve Carney Art Gallery at College of DuPage. The gallery opened in February 2014 with its inaugural exhibition, Selections from Cleve Carney’s Art Collection. In fall 2020, the gallery was expanded to a 2,500 square-foot museum. The Cleve Carney Museum of Art opened June 2021 with the highly anticipated Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition.
Funding is provided by the Cleve Carney Endowment Fund, which supports vital programming including artist engagement opportunities for community members and students, gallery exhibitions, artist commissions, new acquisitions and other teaching and learning tools that foster cultural enrichment in our community. More information can be found at TheCCMA.org and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt.
About the MAC
The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located at 425 Fawell Blvd., 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance, and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. Visit AtTheMAC.org or facebook.com/AtTheMAC for more information.
About the College of DuPage Foundation
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit https://foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2698.