NFL Culture Tour: One dandy Warhol Museum
A couple days ago I told Captain -- a doorman at a prominent local watering hole in the wall -- that I was going to Pittsburgh, and after offering his condolences, he suggested I visit the Andy Warhol Museum. Warhol is one of the most prominent American artists of the 20th century, but he is primarly identified with New York, where he spent most of his life. The fact, however, is that he's a native Pittsburgher.
Anyway, when Captain says "Go to the Andy Warhol Museum," I say "How high?" (The answer being, of course, not high at all, but 100 percent sober, as we all should be as often as possible.) So while I was waiting for check-in time at the hotel to roll around, I found it nestled right in there among the Steel City's cathedrals to professional sport, just across the Andy Warhol Bridge.
There were seven floors of exhibits, and all the different salons were typical Pittsburghian: cavernous, stone and steel, cold and Spartan, except for the priceless canvasses and memorabilia on the walls and in the cases.
The most interesting pieces were the ones included in the Warhol/Keith Haring "Personal Jesus" combination. I had never seen a lot of the Haring pieces before, and didn't realize that so much of his work had such violence. I knew about the sexual themes, but the violence was incredibly affecting. The Warhol half of the special religious exhibit was terrific too. I did't realize he was such a devout Catholic, but it jumped right off the wall there.
Another note about Keith Haring: One of South Jersey's most prominent pro athletes, bass badass Mike Iaconelli, is an insane Haring fan, and has multiple replications of Harings work colorfully tattooed on his person. That was actually the first thing I thought of when I saw the exhibit.
There was a ton of other interesting stuff, like a photo collection by a woman wo enjoyed intimate access to the whole Warhol/Velvet Underground Silver Factory scene in Manhattan in the late 60's and early 70's. And also examples of Warhol's clothes, inclduing his famous silver wigs.
The only thing that disappointed was the gift shop. I went in full prepared to find a t-shirt that I had to have, but was underwhelmed, and came away with only a postcard photo of Warhol kissing Salvadore Dali. Funny enough, I guess, but I was hoping for something a little more permanent and memorable.
All in all, it was a terrific few hours in the Steel City, and well worth the rather steep 12 bucks it cost. Of course, Philadelphians are used to walking into museums for free on Sundays, so maybe that made it seem more expensive. In any case, all those who travel to Pittsburgh should put it on the to-do list.
Anyway, when Captain says "Go to the Andy Warhol Museum," I say "How high?" (The answer being, of course, not high at all, but 100 percent sober, as we all should be as often as possible.) So while I was waiting for check-in time at the hotel to roll around, I found it nestled right in there among the Steel City's cathedrals to professional sport, just across the Andy Warhol Bridge.
There were seven floors of exhibits, and all the different salons were typical Pittsburghian: cavernous, stone and steel, cold and Spartan, except for the priceless canvasses and memorabilia on the walls and in the cases.
The most interesting pieces were the ones included in the Warhol/Keith Haring "Personal Jesus" combination. I had never seen a lot of the Haring pieces before, and didn't realize that so much of his work had such violence. I knew about the sexual themes, but the violence was incredibly affecting. The Warhol half of the special religious exhibit was terrific too. I did't realize he was such a devout Catholic, but it jumped right off the wall there.
Another note about Keith Haring: One of South Jersey's most prominent pro athletes, bass badass Mike Iaconelli, is an insane Haring fan, and has multiple replications of Harings work colorfully tattooed on his person. That was actually the first thing I thought of when I saw the exhibit.
There was a ton of other interesting stuff, like a photo collection by a woman wo enjoyed intimate access to the whole Warhol/Velvet Underground Silver Factory scene in Manhattan in the late 60's and early 70's. And also examples of Warhol's clothes, inclduing his famous silver wigs.
The only thing that disappointed was the gift shop. I went in full prepared to find a t-shirt that I had to have, but was underwhelmed, and came away with only a postcard photo of Warhol kissing Salvadore Dali. Funny enough, I guess, but I was hoping for something a little more permanent and memorable.
All in all, it was a terrific few hours in the Steel City, and well worth the rather steep 12 bucks it cost. Of course, Philadelphians are used to walking into museums for free on Sundays, so maybe that made it seem more expensive. In any case, all those who travel to Pittsburgh should put it on the to-do list.
posted by SMc. at 4:52 PM
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