'Adman: Warhol before pop' at the Art Gallery of NSW - Review
'Adman: Warhol before pop' is an intimate exhibition currently on at the Art Gallery of NSW showcasing a delicate collection of sketches, drawings, paintings and his less popular work which nonetheless influenced his career.
Curated by the Art Gallery of NSW and in partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg, this collection also known as Adman presents over 300 pieces which many have never been seen by the public. This collection is quite detailed and shows the evolution of Warhol from his early years from fine to commercial art and shows an element of his personal life.
The exhibit start by showing a young, fun and somewhat rebellious Warhol who moved to New York in his 20s and soon became part of the advertising industry designing art pieces for brands.
Warhol's mother had a big influence in her son growing up and his interest in art. She also moved to New York and soon became his collaborator on numerous projects after his love for her handwriting on some pieces.
My favourite pieces of the Adman collection is his fine and colourful early pop work where his prints are almost machine-like as he intended and repetitive which later became his trademark.
He also designed shopfront window displays for the department store Bonwitt Teller for Miss Dior perfume which visitors to the exhibition were quite taken by. A number of his work was dedicated to drawing feet and shoes which he was particular somewhat obsessed by it seems as I looked at his collection of drawings.
A small part of the exhibition showcases work from Warhol's first art exhibitions in the 50s which because of some homosexual content was ignored and deemed unacceptable to some galleries. But it didn't deter Warhol to show his work at other venues. If attending with children, please be aware that this section of the exhibit contains nudity.
I did love how Warhol's shoe obsession was showcased towards the end of the exhibition. Some of which are quite exquisite.
'Adman: Warhol before pop' is an interesting behind the scene look at Warhol's past. Having seen his pop work at the National Gallery of Victoria at the major exhibition of Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei recently, my love for Warhol's work continues and this intimate collection supports it.