One of the most celebrated, defining artists of all time, Andy Warhol, will finally have his work in the UAE, featuring over 100 original pieces from the king of Pop Art. Commencing on September 20 and lasting until October 31 2024, the “Andy Warhol, The Glam Factory” exhibition is curated by Nada Ghandour, and will feature some of the late artist’s most celebrated pieces including screen print portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.
The exhibit will be held at the Foundry Downtown. Tickets are available at Fever Up.
The exhibition, designed by renowned New York-based architect Ibrahim Kombarji, blends Warhol’s avant-garde spirit with cutting-edge architectural design, creating an environment that both reflects and enhances the spirit of Warhol’s iconic library of work.
“We are thrilled to bring Andy Warhol’s groundbreaking works to Dubai for the very first time. ‘Andy Warhol, The Glam Factory’ is not just an exhibition; it’s an immersive journey into the mind of a genius who forever changed the landscape of contemporary art. This exhibition is a testament to Dubai’s growing status as a global cultural hub, and we are honoured to share Warhol’s legacy with our community,” said Rania Ashur, Founder of Art For All.
The exhibition is split into two sections, one dedicated to the artist and the other to his places of creation and preference:
Andy Warhol: From Shadows to Light
This section highlights the significant milestones of Warhol’s career, from his early days as an illustrator to his status as a “business artist” with a prestigious clientele. It embodies his aesthetic evolution, from his advertising drawings in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New Yorker to the Campbell’s Soup Cans, showcasing his technical mastery in illustration, photography, and semi-industrial series production.
The Glam Factory: Art Meets Business
Warhol’s genius was to bring the painted portrait back into vogue, which became his hallmark and fortune. The famous screen print portraits of the “Rich and Famous” began with his iconic celebrity portraits including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Mao Zedong, propelling Warhol to the forefront of the art world.
This section also includes portraits of various political, fashion, arts, sports, and business personalities, blending commission and collaboration with Edward Kennedy, Paloma Picasso, and Keith Haring. Additionally, it features stars who shared Warhol’s extravagant social life and who sometimes collaborated artistically with him such as fashion designers Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani, as well as Rolling Stone front man and living icon, Mick Jagger.
Few other men in history have left such an indelible footprint of creativity, art, and imagery as Andy Warhol, and when one thinks of New York City in the 1960s – 1980s, one can’t help but immediately think of his astounding body of work.
Also, and perhaps I am biased, but Warhol not only created the (arguably) greatest album cover of all time for The Velvet Underground & Nico, but he also produced it. At the time of its release, this debut record sold very poorly, hitting only 30,000 in its first five years. But as Brian Eno, founding member of Roxy Music said in 1982, “Everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.” Listen to the album’s opening track below.
