Image Machine: Andy Warhol and Photography

Image Machine: Andy Warhol and Photography is a groundbreaking exhibition co-organized by the Contemporary Arts Center and the Rose Art Museum devoted to Andy Warhol’s use of photography as source material. It examines the central role of photography in Warhol’s art—its relationship to his portrait painting and documentation of the artist’s social life. 

Warhol has been crowned the “Prince of Pop Art” for introducing iconic images of commercial products and glamour stars, such as Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe, into the lexicon of art. His transformation of art by appropriating the photographic image from mass media marked a significant shift in our cultural history. Warhol’s Pop Art images have largely defined the perception of the artist; however, until the Warhol Photographic Legacy Program, the vast extent of Warhol’s photographic output was relatively unknown and little studied. The exhibition will feature images of icons such as Elizabeth Taylor, Gianni Versace, Cheryl Tiegs and Jackie Kennedy. Image Machine: Andy Warhol & Photography also features a recreation of the Contemporary Arts Center’s famous 1966 Warhol exhibition, Holy Cow! Silver Clouds!! Holy Cow!.