Andy Warhol Exhibit Opens In China, But His Chairman Mao Portraits Are Forbidden


The Power Station of Art in Shanghai has opened a new exhibition by Andy Warhol, but the famous pop artist’s portraits of Chairman Mao have been left out of the picture.

Agence France-Presse reports that the Andy Warhol Museum, which created the traveling exhibition, was told by the Chinese government that images of Mao would not be needed. Warhol painted many pictures of the Chinese revolutionary leader, such as this one hanging in Berlin shown here courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

As everyone knows, China has been reinventing itself as a capitalist superpower while still maintaining its Communist leadership. Images of Chairman Mao have been steadily disappearing from public display because the new China doesn’t jive with his idea of a peasant revolutionary Communist state. Bringing up memories of his Cultural Revolution, which saw countless works of art destroyed, also doesn’t sit well with Shanghai’s new image as a center for the arts.

The traveling exhibition, titled “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal,” has already been to Singapore and Hong Kong and will run in Shanghai until July 28, at which point it will continue on to Beijing and Tokyo.

See the Museum of Modern Art in two minutes

Ever visited New York City’s Museum of Modern Art? It’s quite possibly the world’s greatest museum for art lovers – harboring numerous masterpieces from painters including Picasso, Pollack and Warhol, among others. But it’s also quite overwhelming. If you’ve never been, prepare to be overwhelmed by thousands of different works across multiple floors, ranging from sculpture to photography to film and special exhibits. You will be exhausted when you leave.

That’s where this neat video comes in. Someone took the time to create a video montage of every single piece of art in the museum’s painting gallery in April 2010, collapsing the experience into a YouTube video just over two minutes in length. It’s a dizzying reminder of just how much this great museum has to offer. Whether you’ve already gone or have yet to visit, take a minute to enjoy one of the world’s great collections of modern art.

[Via Metafilter]

Warhol comes to Cleveland

So, you know Andy Warhol is in Paris right now. Of course, even the best travel deals can still leave Europe’s cultural capital out of reach. Fortunately, you now have a backup plan: Cleveland.

The Cleaveland Institute of Art will be hosting a series of prints created by Warhol from 1974 to 1986 (from the Cochran Collection). Uncle Sam, Superman and Mickey Mouse will be in attendance – a rare opportunity that any pop art fanatic is sure to enjoy. The collection will be in town from June 5 to August 16. This is the first time the Cochran Collection can be seen in Ohio.

Reinberg Galleries director Bruce Checefsky say, “Andy Warhol is the perfect summer exhibition for University Circle because the show is filled with American popular culture.” He continues, “From soup can to Superman, supermarket to stardom, we revel in Warhol’s demystifying beauty.”

Hang with Andy Warhol in Paris

Elvis may have left the building, but the man who immortalized him (no, not the colonel) has left his mark.

The Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais has scored a major win: the museum is playing host to 250 works by Andy Warhol. Quite simply, this doesn’t happen. The exhibition, called “Warhol’s Wide World,” is a rare opportunity for pop art fanatics to immerse themselves in the accomplishments of the master. With a new package from Concorde Hotels & Resorts, you can separate yourself from the proletarians at this show with VIP passes.

Stay at one of six Concorde properties in Paris – the Hotel de Crillon, Hotel Lutetia, Hotel Concorde Saint-Lazare, Hotel du Louvre, Hotel Concorde La Fayette or Hotel Concorde Montparnasse – and you’ll also receive a buffet breakfast for two, two priority tickets to the Warhol show and a Warhol-themed box of Parisian sweets. Rates start at $260 per room-night.

This is a rare opportunity and is only available until June 29, 2009. If you’re a Warhol freak, this show is a must. The Concorde deal just makes it more comfortable.

Warhol for Braniff


We’ve always known Andy Warhol had a rather rampant commercialism about him. I mean, what’s the deal with those cans!? And multi-hued Marilyn? The fact is, Warhol was all about drawing our attention to the commercialism around us, but also by removing things…like Campbell soup cans…from their usual context, he asked us to view them in a different light, and by doing so, they became art. He saw that an artist could transform the ugliness of commercialism into the beauty of art. He was oh so high concept.

But can you really get more LOW concept than this ad that Warhol did for Braniff Airways? Here is sitting next to Sonny Liston trying to explain the can thing and then an announcer’s voice comes over the video….it’s not even that funny, let alone ironic, let alone artistic. I saw it and I wondered what got into Warhol. Did he need the money? Too bad if he did and too bad he’s gone, because you might remember that one of his paintings…the multi-colored Mao… just sold for US$16.4 million. I’ll be he wouldn’t be doing Braniff commercials today.