“I think anybody can take a good picture.”
– Andy Warhol, Exposures, 1979
Walter Mori, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Andy Warhol: Pop Art Icon and Complex Man
He was outrageous, outlandish, a brilliant artist whose celebrity extended beyond the art world. He partied at Studio 54 with the rich and famous, and yet, he was shy, quiet, and often stumbled over his words in interviews. He was a keen observer of humanity, society, and especially commercialism and consumerism. Andy Warhol’s silkscreen prints, paintings, and films shook the art world. He became a leading artist in the Pop Art movement.
The Polaroid Camera, the Artist’s Tool
A photographer in his own right, Warhol used the Polaroid camera as part of his process for creating paintings and prints. He was known to carry a camera almost everywhere, capturing encounters with the famous and infamous within his circle. Seen through the eyes of Warhol, these instant, in-the-moment photos were artistic expressions of their own, and ended up being way more than just a tool. They were art. And Tryon Fine Arts Center is thrilled to share them.
Warhol in Tryon – The Exhibit and Special Events
Andy Warhol: The Polaroids is curated by Leah Mulligan Cabinum, Gallery Director, USC Upstate
Exhibit: Runs Feb 27 – April 24
Reception: Sat, Mar 7 | 4:30 – 6:30
Walk & Talk with Jane Nodine, Professor of Art and Director of the Curtis R. Harley Gallery at the University of South Carolina Upstate: 4:30 – 5:15
Warhol was known for his Campbell Soup can paintings. During the reception or anytime you visit the gallery, please bring canned soups or foods to donate to Steps to Hope, a local organization that provides aid to victims of domestic abuse.
Pose for a Polaroid snapshot and your photo will hang in the gallery!
Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick (CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Andy After Hours Party at Mirrorball Gallery Studio Lounge, 84 Pacolet Street, Tryon, starts at 6:30 until…
Party Like Andy!
After the Reception, the Celebration Continues into the Wee Hours at The Mirrorball Gallery—just a short walk away! (Costumes and glitter encouraged!)
Mirrorball owners, Alex Page and E. Vincent Martinez know how to throw a party! The bar is stocked and the tunes are spinning at the Andy After Hours Party.
Think Studio 54! Think glamor and glitz! See and be seen! Get in touch with your inner Disco Queen. Come as you are, or dress up like your favorite Disco, New Wave or Punk star (Hello, Devo! Bust a move, Blondie! Shake it, Chic!). Wear a shocking Warhol fright wig! Or give us your best Marilyn! Anything goes! From Disco to New Wave, party like it’s 1979!
Warhol Exposed! Take a Walk on the Bawdy Side!
The Great Unveiling! In Mirrorball Gallery…at the After-Andy Disco Party on March 7
Catch a glimpse of even more Warhol photos …the risqué, the ribald, the raunchy, salacious, and sexy—his Polaroid nudes.
The Warhol Legacy
In his life, Warhol was a great supporter of fellow artists and charitable organizations. After his death in 1987, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established, in accordance with his will. As stated on the Foundation’s website, “…the Foundation has given over $300 million in cash grants to more than 1,000 arts organizations in 49 states and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide.”
This outstanding selection of Warhol’s Polaroids is part of a collection containing 152 photographs donated to the University of South Carolina Upstate Art Gallery in 2008 by the Andy Warhol Foundation through the Photographic Legacy Program.
Warhol on the set of Cocaine Cowboys
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” – Andy Warhol
