By: Elizabeth Windsor
Andy Warhol
© Ugo Mulas Estate. All rights reserved
Expectations are always high going to see what Larry Gagosian has in his uptown galleries. One is surely to be met with the work of Art World royalty: Smith, Serra, Hirst, Murakami, Lichtenstein, and Warhol. While it is a matter of preference whether a Warhol exhibition is like going to Pop Art heaven or induces a headache, the pieces from the late Ileana Sonnabend collection now on view are impressive. Although all these works have been lent out to museums for various shows, it is the first time they have been shown together. It was nice to see things that are so overly familiar with the reminder that you are not walking amongst gift shop reproductions, but the real objects that started it all.
First, it is significant to know that Ileana Sonnabend was a major force in the International art world. With her first husband, Leo Castelli, she was instrumental in bringing postwar American art to Europe in the 1960s. As well, her personal history is as fascinating as her professional one, being one of the first women with a successful commercial gallery in New York and Paris. Consequently, she had a long relationship with Warhol and his work—thus her collection spans his career.
Warhol’s Triple Rauschenberg (1962) was a highlight for me because of its uniqueness and rarity. Rather than looking like film stills set side by side, the images overlap in an untraditional, playful interpretation of the triptych. As well, having not seen this image reproduced ad infinitum, it was incredibly refreshing. There were also two paintings of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, entitled Jackie (1964), that were particularly powerful. In both, which are hung together, she is in mourning. The first imprint is solid and intense, whereas the second is much lighter, faded happiness and glory. For me, these images are more interesting than the decorative flowers and repetitive soup cans.
As much as Warhol attempted to make his work impersonal and standardized, walking through Gagosian Madison Avenue galleries was like visiting old relatives that were polite, but aloof all the same. Generally with Warhol, what you see is what you get, and then there is the price tag. But this showcase of the range of his work reinforces the weight of his legacy as a visual artist and not just a personality.
“Warhol from the Sonnabend Collection” is on view through Feb 28
Gagosian Gallery
Take the 6 Train to
Museum Hours: Tue-Sat 10-6
Website: www.gagosian.com
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