(Above) Andy Warhol impersonator Alexander Wisniewski with a three-dimensional depiction of Warhol’s 1962 pop art painting of Campbell’s soup cans. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

By Pamela Dittmer McKuen

23-Jul-23 – WARHOL is now open at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Showcasing the life and art of Andy Warhol, and with more than 200 original works on display, the multimedia, interactive exhibition runs through September 10.

It’s another blockbuster exhibition for the suburban arts center after the wildly successful Frida Kahlo: Timeless in 2021.

Born Andrew Warhola in 1928, Andy Warhol is regarded as one of the most recognizable and influential artists of the 20th century. He began his career as a magazine and advertising illustrator in New York, where his first major assignment was for Glamour magazine. A misprint in the credit line omitted the final “a” in his name, and he adopted the spelling as his own. (Left) Warhol in 1980. Photo by Bernard Gotfryd.

Warhol went on to play a leading role in the mid-century Pop Art movement, which turned everyday life into art. In 1969, he founded Interview magazine, which was lauded for its bold photography and intimate conversations with celebrities and public figures. During the span of his life, he created more than 20,000 works, crossing such genres as painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, film, and music. He died in 1987 at age 58 of complications from a routine gallbladder surgery.

The sprawling, multi-faceted WARHOL exhibition includes 94 works comprising Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop on loan from the Bank of America Collection as well as photographs and artwork from the college’s permanent art collection. Among them are well-known images of flowers, celebrity portraits, and Campbell’s soup cans but also less-familiar works that depict the artist’s diverse interests like endangered species and mythological creatures.

Expect serious razzle-dazzle in the arts center’s Playhouse Theatre, which has been made over as the embodiment of Studio 54.

Warhol was a frequent visitor to the city’s hottest discotheque for celebrity-spotting during the late 1970s. Amid the pulsating lights and disco beats are a dozen or so mannequins clad in re-creations of the glittery fashion designs that were actually worn by A-listers Cher, Diana Ross, Jackie Onassis, John Travolta, Mick Jagger and, of course, Andy Warhol. Historical facts and video clips are projected onto two large screens.

Studio 54 was so infamous, it’s hard to realize it existed for only three years before its owners were sent away on drug charges, and the nightclub was shut down. You’ll learn about that.

Another eye-popper is the facsimile of Warhol’s Silver Clouds installation, a room filled with helium-inflated metallic pillows.

You’re welcome to gently touch, tap, guide, and photograph the pillows on their floaty orbits. Warhol debuted Silver Clouds in 1966 at the Leo Castelli Gallery in response to criticism that he was unable to work in three dimensions.

Other exhibition attractions and experiences to explore while you’re there:

• Historical timeline, including reproductions of Warhol’s high-fashion illustrations for Bonwit Teller and Tiffany and Co.; the assassination attempt on his life; and a re-creation of his Interview office.

• A collection of more than 150 photographs taken by the artist. Most are Polaroid portraits, many of which he used as reference for his work.

• A selection of vintage Interview magazines.

• Kids Pop Art Print Factory, a child and family activity room.

• Central Park-inspired outdoor space as it appeared while Warhol lived on the Upper East Side.

As you are meandering through the galleries, you might spot an Andy Warhol doppelganger sporting an iconic white wig. That’s Alexander Wisniewski, a College of DuPage student who played the titular role in the recent play, Andy Warhol’s Tomato, presented by the college’s resident professional troupe, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble.

WARHOL runs Tuesdays through Sundays (closed on Mondays) through September 10.

The McAninch Arts Center and Cleve Carney Museum of Art at the College of DuPage are located at 45 Fawell Boulevard in Glen Ellyn.

More info & tickets: Warhol 2023

Photos by Pamela Dittmer McKuen except where noted otherwise.