Possession Obsession: Andy Warhol And Collecting - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0971568804 ISBN 13: 9780971568808

Publisher: The Andy Warhol Museum, 2002

Synopsis

"So many categories!" Andy Warhol would complain, in the course of his daily trawl of antique stores, galleries, auction houses and flea markets. Though best known as an artist, Warhol was also a passionate and informed collector of unlikely antiquities and offbeat Americana. Possession Obsession proposes that collecting was another form of artistic practice for Warhol, certainly one that provides as much insight into his interests, tastes and ideas as his art. Accompanying essays examine the how, why, and what of Warhol's collection, the all-consuming role it played in his life, the aesthetic quality and historical associations of the objects themselves, the psychological and sexual aspects of collecting, other artists' use of collecting and the relationships between collecting and mass culture. Also included are Robert Mapplethorpe's wonderful photographs of Warhol's home, for which Patti Smith provides an introduction.

About this title

About the Author

Andy Warhol started out as a very successful commercial illustrator, and became a painter, photographer, printmaker, film and video maker, magazine publisher, author, and celebrity. He had his first art show in 1962, at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles which showed his "32 Campbell's Soup Cans." From that point on Warhol's work revolutionized the art world.

Reviews

This fascinating and visually exciting exhibition catalog reflects the more personal side of Andy Warhol's celebrity persona, that of the compulsive and obsessive collector. With a little help from Frederick Hughes and Jed Johnson, Warhol became a collector extraordinaire with an eye for everything from fine art to furniture to kitsch. This catalog chronicles the diversity of Warhol's obsession, based on the historic Sotheby's auction of his personal collection in April 1988. Essays by a range of contributors focus on Warhol's life as a collector, his important museum installations, and various collection genres. Highlighted are notable objects from art deco to Americana, including Native American and folk art, as well as jewelry and shoes, photographs and cookie jars, and his unique "time capsules." Edited by the archivist of the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the catalog is the perfect amalgamation of objects, ideas, events, and personalities. For libraries focusing on decorative arts and contemporary artists.
Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Libs., Johnson City
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Andy Warhol Museum
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0971568804
• ISBN 13: 9780971568808
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 152