As the name suggests, WarholMania features the groundbreaking artworks produced by Andy Warhol and his eclectic entourage, offering a unique glimpse into the vibrant 1960s New York Pop Art scene, and reliving the electrifying atmosphere that defined Warhol’s world.
The exhibition showcases a collection of mainly black-and-white photographs taken by two remarkable photographers: Billy Name and William John Kennedy. William John Kennedy’s ‘Lost Archive’ from 1964 presents photographs of Andy Warhol that lay forgotten in a cupboard for 50 years, nearly discarded. Shot in the early 1960s, these images emerged from the close friendship he enjoyed with Andy Warhol. This recently unveiled collection captures the Pop Art movement’s ascent, presenting Warhol in a candid and intimate light, providing a rare perspective on the artist’s early career.
Kennedy’s professional life has been dedicated to fine art photography, amassing an extensive body of work. His photographs are featured in over 15 museum collections worldwide, including the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. According to Patrick Moore, former Director of the Andy Warhol Museum, “The great power of Kennedy’s portraits of Warhol is to bring him alive as both an artist and a man.” This collection provides a rare and intimate look at Warhol’s life and work through the eyes of close friends, lovers, and collaborators, offering an invaluable record of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
The most iconic image of the exhibition is surely the portrait of Warhol holding acetates used in his silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe. Kennedy felt that the image personified for Warhol the dual nature of celebrity, embracing both glamour and tragedy.
The resulting photograph, according to Matt Wrbican, Chief Archivist of the Andy Warhol Museum, is an aesthetically engaging and complex visual composition in which Kennedy physically integrates the artist with his work.
WarholMania: William J. Kennedy & Billy Name, curated by Virginia Damtsa in Association with Kiwi Arts Group and David Hill Gallery at the Warhol Kennedy Residence, 190 Strand, London.
