David Filderman Gallery, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Ninth Floor, South Campus
The hofstra University Museum is honored to have been a recipient of this generous and historically meaningful gift from the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This gift enhances the Museum’s collection of photography while expanding our ability to contextualize our prints and other collection works also created by Andy Warhol.
Beth E. Levinthal Executive Director
Andy WArhol (AMERiCAN, 1928-1987)
Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola) studied pictorial design at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in his hometown, Pittsburgh, from 1945-49. After moving to New York City, he worked as a commercial artist and illustrator for magazines and newspapers. In the 1950s he shortened his name to Warhol.
Beginning in the 1960s, Warhol created numerous works of art by appropriating images from popular culture. He pared them down to their essential elements while he created repetitious images of these objects or individuals, such as his Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyns (Marilyn Monroe). He was also inspired by advertisements and comic strips; his style became known as Pop Art. Warhol worked in various media: painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and film. He was especially interested in using the processes of commercial printing such as screenprinting, stamping and stenciling in his art to emphasize the concept of mass production or manufactured aspects.
Warhol was established as a major international artist celebrity by the 1970s. At his studio, “the Factory,” Warhol continued to create paintings and also worked on commissioned portraits. In addition to other publications, he published Interview magazine. His artwork has been, and continues to be, exhibited in important museums worldwide.
Warhol died in 1987 following routine gall bladder surgery. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987, and in accordance with the terms of his will, its mission continues to be the advancement of the visual arts. A major retrospective of his work was mounted by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1989. As a lasting legacy to his work and influence, the Andy Warhol Museum opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1994.
THE PHoToGRAPHiC LEGACy PRoGRAM
Recent Gifts to the Hofstra University Museum Andy WArhol
The Hofstra University Museum maintains a permanent collection of approximately 4,500 works of art, including paintings, sculpture, prints, photographs and ethnographic objects. The Museum’s holdings of photographs date from the early 20th to the 21st century, and number about 650 in a variety of media.
In the summer of 2008, the Museum was among a select group of college and university museums that, through the generosity of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, received a gift of Andy Warhol photographs. This donation consisted of 153 original Polaroids and gelatin silver prints by noted Pop artist Andy Warhol. This recent acquisition enriches the Museum’s growing photography collection.
A selection of the photographs is included in this exhibition, Andy Warhol: The Photographic Legacy Program, Recent Gifts to the Hofstra University Museum. Much of Warhol’s artwork was photo-based. The photographs were an integral part of his artistic process; the individuals and objects recorded in the photographs often appeared in his paintings and prints.
Warhol was known for his cultivation of celebrities and his famous pronouncement that everyone would enjoy 15 minutes of fame. These photographs are a glimpse into the artist’s social life as well as his working methods. From 1970 to 1987, Warhol took numerous Polaroid and black-and-white photographs, the majority of which were never exhibited. Taking multiple images of the same model or celebrity, Warhol sometimes translated these images into paintings or prints. The portrait photographs depict both unknown models as well as celebrities such as author Truman Capote, model/actress/singer Grace Jones and professional ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky.
With his Polaroid camera Warhol captured Italian fashion designer Enrico Coveri in a variety of poses: a direct frontal view, his hand on his chin or cheek, and his head tilted toward the left or right. The painting Enrico Coveri (1983), which is not included in this exhibition, shows a similar pose to the one captured on the Polaroid: Coveri tilted his head while resting his cheek on his hand. In the photograph Dracula (1981), Sean McKeon, a model and admirer of Warhol, dressed as the legendary character. Although in this Polaroid McKeon was shot in 3/4 view, a direct frontal view of him in Dracula costume was used in the painting Myths (Multiple) (1981), which is in the collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These are just two examples of how Warhol utilized his photographs as a component of his creative process.
Photo above right:
Dracula (Sean McKeon), 1981 Polacolor 2
Some portraits and common objects were photographed with both Polaroid and 35mm cameras. Warhol considered the color Polaroid a “photograph” and the gelatin silver print a “picture.” This exhibition displays these photographs adjacent to each other, allowing the viewer to compare moments of Warhol’s artistic process.
Using his Polaroid Big Shot, a plastic camera he used for the majority of his work, Warhol captured a range of subjects. Warhol typically took a series of Polaroid photographs at each portrait sitting; the number of photographs could range from a dozen up to hundreds. Repetition is a recurring theme in Warhol’s body of work and it plays a major role in his photography also. The models’ poses vary with some displaying an ease in front of the camera and others conveying self-conscious discomfort. Some sitters were subjected to the application of white makeup, black eyeliner and red lipstick. Warhol required this treatment in order to increase contrast and to hide any flaws or imperfections. The effect can be seen in the photographs of socialite Veronica Hearst (1982) and philanthropist Helen Schneider (1986).
Most of the black and white prints capture Warhol’s spontaneity and are snapshots of locations, common objects and popular icons such as Union Square (undated), Bathtub (undated) and Cabbage Patch Doll (1984-1985). The gelatin silver prints were taken with a Minolta SLR 35mm camera, which allowed Warhol to take photographs without concern for focus or lighting. Warhol often had a camera on hand and created a visual diary of his life, documenting the parties he attended, places he visited and countries to which he traveled.
The two screenprints from the Hofstra University Museum collection included in this exhibition illustrate Warhol’s use of photography as an integral part of his artistic process. The image for Birmingham Race Riot (1964) was taken from a newspaper account of the civil rights protest and police action. Warhol appropriated the grainy photograph, cropped and manipulated it to intensify the dramatic qualities of the image. In Untitled 12 (1974) Warhol reused some of his major images of the 1960s: the Campbell’s soup can, cow, Brillo boxes and electric chair. Superimposing the images in matte and glossy black inks, he created a new screenprint. The repetition of images that he had already used and the reconfiguring of those images were a Warhol trademark.
Warhol has been recognized as a major Pop artist and art celebrity since the 1960s. As a Pop artist he challenged tradition both in his subject matter and his process. Warhol’s renown as a Pop artist came from his individualized concept in which he removed common objects from their normal context and elevated them to the stature of icons of American culture. His portraits, whether photographs, prints or paintings, produced larger than life images of the celebrities, models and people who posed for him. Warhol exploited commercial printing methods to produce multiple images and also manipulated the process to create his unique paintings and prints. His photographs were a vital part of his artistic practice.
Karen T. Albert Assistant Director
Photo on page 6: Bathtub, undated Gelatin silver print
Photo above: Truman Capote, undated Gelatin
“My iDEA oF A GooD PiCTURE iS oNE THAT’S iN FoCUS AND oF A FAMoUS PERSoN.” Andy WArhol
THE Andy WArhol PHoToGRAPHiC LEGACy PRoGRAM and THE Andy WArhol FoUNDATioN FoR THE ViSUAL ARTS
In 2007, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts launched The Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program. Through The Legacy Program, more than 28,500 photographs have been donated to college and university museums nationally. The Legacy Program reveals Warhol’s immense photographic production and opens new directions in the discussion of his work process and his use of the photographic medium.
Each institution honored by The Legacy Program received a carefully selected group of photographs that included more than 100 Polaroids and 50 black and white prints. These photographs reflect the vast range of subjects that Warhol’s camera captured, which illustrated his interests, curiosity and desire to document his activities.
According to Foundation President Joel Wachs, the goal of the Photographic Legacy Program is to provide greater access to Warhol’s artwork and process, and to enable a wide range of people from communities across the country to view and study this important yet relatively unknown body of Warhol’s work. The program offers institutions that do not have the means to acquire works by Warhol the opportunity to bring a significant number of photographs into their permanent collections, while allowing those institutions that do have Warhol in their collections to enrich the breadth and depth of their holdings.
In the Foundation’s 20-year life span it has given away more than $200 million in cash grants and art donations. “As we look to the future,” declared Wachs, “the Warhol Foundation will continue to be guided by the vision of its founder and benefactor, whose dying wish was to establish a foundation to advance the visual arts. We will devote our energy and resources to expanding support for artists and arts institutions throughout the country, and we hope that the Foundation’s accomplishments will inspire others to follow Andy’s visionary lead.”
MEDiA
Gelatin silver photographs the most common type of black and white photographs, have been in use since the 1880s. These photographs are made with silver halides suspended in a layer of gelatin on fiber-based paper. A chemical process of developer, stop and fixer is used to develop these photographs from a negative. The photograph can be altered during this process to change the final print.
A Polaroid photograph is an instantaneous one-step photographic process, first developed by E.H. Land in 1947. Polacolor (color film) was created in 1962. There are two types of Polaroid process: the integral system where the photograph develops directly on to the print paper and the peel apart system where the print is separated from a negative backing after exposure.
Screenprinting is a variety of stencil printing that employs a screen made from fabric (originally silk) stretched tightly over a frame. The non-printing areas on the fabric are blocked out by painting on glue or lacquer, by applying adhesive film or paper, or painting a light-sensitive resist onto the screen, which is then developed as a photograph (photo-screenprint). Ink is forced through the open fabric onto paper with a rubber blade, known as a squeegee. A separate screen is necessary for each color. Originally a commercial printing method, artists began using the screenprinting process in the 1930s. At that time the term serigraph was used to denote an artist’s print; the term silkscreen is also still used.
ANDy WARHoL RESoURCES:
Andy Warhol Museum www.warhol.org
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts www.warholfoundation.org
Bockris, Victor. The Life and Death of Andy Warhol. New York: Bantam Books, 1989.
Hackett, Pat, ed. The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York: Warner Books, 1989.
Mercurio, Gianni and Morera, Daniela. The Andy Warhol Show. Milan: Skira, c. 2004.
ExHibiTioN CHECkLiST
All works of art are by Andy Warhol. All photographs were donated by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, NY Height precedes width.
PHoToGRAPHS
— PoRTRAiTS
Paul Anka 8/1975
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.90
Tony Berlant 8/1973
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.62
Tony Berlant 8/1973
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.63
Tony Berlant 8/1973
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.64
Tony Berlant 8/1973
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.65
Tony Berlant 8/1973
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
Photo above left:
Window Display: Cutlery Set, 1982
Gelatin silver print
HU 2008.2.144
Frederick Hughes, undated
Gelatin silver print
9.937 x 7.937 in.
HU 2008.2.106
Fred Hughes and Jon Gould undated
Gelatin silver print
8 x 10 in.
HU 2008.2.117
Enrico Coveri 5/1982
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.68
Enrico Coveri 5/1982
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.69
Enrico Coveri 5/1982
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.70
Enrico Coveri 5/1982
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.72
Enrico Coveri 5/1982
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.73
Enrico Coveri 5/1982
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.74
Dracula (Sean McKeon), 1981
Polacolor 2
HU 2008.2.66
Tony Berlant 8/1973
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.67
Truman Capote, after August 1977
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.60
Truman Capote, undated
Gelatin silver print
6.5 x 8.937 in.
HU 2008.2.105
Feldman, Freyda and Schellmann, Jörg, eds. Andy Warhol Prints: Catalogue Raisonné. New York: R. Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., 1989.
2.875 x 3.75 in. HU 2008.2.95
Jon Gould undated
Gelatin silver print
7.937 x 9.937 in. HU 2008.2.107
Jon Gould undated
Gelatin silver print
7.937 x 10 in.
HU 2008.2.108
Wayne Gretzky 1983 or 1984
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.58
Truman Capote, undated Gelatin silver print
6.5 x 9 in.
HU 2008.2.109
Wayne Gretzky, 1983 or 1984
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.59
Veronica Hearst, 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.39
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.40
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.41
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.42
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.43
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.44
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.45
Veronica Hearst 1/1982 Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.46
Veronica Hearst and Benjamin Liu 1982
Gelatin silver print 9.375 x 6.5 in. HU 2008.2.123
Fred Hughes and Two Unidentified Men, undated
Gelatin silver print
6.125 x 8.937 in.
HU 2008.2.126
Fred Hughes and Two Unidentified Women undated
Gelatin silver print
6.125 x 8.75 in.
HU 2008.2.127
Fred Hughes and Unidentified Woman undated
Gelatin silver print
6.125 x 8.875 in.
HU 2008.2.116
Grace Jones, 1984
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.37
Grace Jones, 4/1984
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.38
Grace Jones and Unidentified Man, undated
Gelatin silver print
10 x 8 in.
HU 2008.2.147
Grace Jones and Unidentified Man, undated
Gelatin silver print 10 x 8 in.
HU 2008.2.148
Gael Love 1985
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in. HU 2008.2.33
Gael Love 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.34
Gael Love, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.35
Sean McKeon, 8/1980
Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.75
Helen Schneider, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.26
Helen Schneider, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.28
Helen Schneider, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.29
Helen Schneider, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.30
Helen Schneider, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.31
Helen Schneider, 1986
Polacolor ER
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.32
Neil Sedaka, 1979
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.61
Maria Shriver, Grace Jones and Nancy Collins, undated
Gelatin silver print
10 x 8 in.
HU 2008.2.146
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 3/1980
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.81
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 3/1980
Polacolor Type 108
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.82
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 9/1980
Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.76
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 9/1980
Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.77
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 9/1980
Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.78
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 9/1980
Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.79
Dr. Siegfried Unseld, 9/1980
Polacolor 2
3.75 x 2.875 in.
HU 2008.2.80
Treat Williams and Philip Bosco, 1982
Gelatin silver print
8 x 10 in.
HU 2008.2.132
Peter Wise and Jon Gould Outside a Ski Lodge, undated
