It's fascinating that nearly 30 years after Andy Warhol's death, the late artist is somehow still able to stun and captivate the public, who have since become so enamored with the king of pop art. Though Warhol was certainly a revered figure even 50 years ago, his propensity to provoke also subjected him to much initial criticism. Some of his works were even censored.
Back during the 1964 New York World's Fair, Warhol was commissioned to create a public art piece for the exterior of a Philip Johnson-designed New York State Pavilion. So what did Warhol do? He decided to blow up the mug shots from an NYPD pamphlet of the 13 most wanted criminals of 1962 to create a chessboard of notorious faces. His 13 Most Wanted Men screen prints were so touchy that fair officials actually had the entire piece painted over with silver paint.
Needless to say, that didn't stop Warhol from doing it again. In the summer of 1964, Warhol made another set of his previously covered-up Most Wanted Men prints with the screens he used to make the outdoor mural. Now, nine of those 13 prints have been assembled in New York for the first time ever and will be exhibited at Queens Museum. In addition, there will also be some of Warhol's other works from that year, artists' and photojournalists' documentation of the fair, the late artist, and the Factory, and other never-before-seen materials.
The show opens April 27 and ends Sept. 7, so you'll have some time to check out this epic show.
[via QueensMuseum]
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