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American Pop: Featuring
Andy Warhol's Athletes from the Richard Weisman Collection
August 16 - November 2, 2008
From Lichtenstein
to Warhol, the art of the controversial Pop Art movement is on exhibit at
the Crocker Art Museum August 16 - November 2, 2008. 
American
Pop: Featuring Andy Warhol's Athletes from the Richard Weisman Collection highlights 36 works drawn from major private collections as well
as the Crocker's own and probes how artistic introspection of the 1960s
developed into the ultimate endorsement of 1970s celebrity. (left:
Roy Lichtenstein, Yellow Brush Stroke #1, 1965. Lithograph, 22 1/4
x 28 1/2 inches. Crocker Art Museum Purchase)
The show includes two Sacramento artists' unique stamp
on the Pop Art movement: Wayne Thiebaud, whose painterly layering of pigment
defined his vision of lunch counter confections and Barbara Spring, who
turned found drift wood into cunning depictions of roast beef, sliced ham,
coconut cake and petit fours.
Highlighting Pop's ultimate expression is the exhibit's
special display of Andy Warhol's Athletes Series. Begun in 1977 and
completed in 1979, these 10 portraits capture the decade's athletic superstars
with the late 20th-century's stamp of fame -- a Warhol silk-screen.
How Warhol came to photograph and "paint" Dorothy
Hamill, Muhammad Ali, Pelé and Jack Nicklaus reveals the ongoing
importance of friendships between patrons and artists in contemporary art.
In September, Athletes owner Richard Weisman will speak with college
students about the inspiration behind the series and his career as a collector.
The exhibition demonstrates that while Warhol, James Rosenquist,
Roy Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos created signature Pop works, a wide variety
of often surprising artists were also drawn to explore the new subject matter.
This broad adoption shows how Pop Art represented both a prevailing mood
and an important influence. Critics decried the celebration of Pop, but
the fast acceptance of the movement by artists and collectors alike signaled
a seismic shift in American life.
More about the exhibition
In 1961, in Sacramento, two distinct artists, unbeknownst
to one another, began to use common foodstuffs as the subject of their art.
One was Wayne Thiebaud, whose painterly layering of pigment literally as
much as figuratively defined his vision of lunch counter confections. The
other was sculptor Barbara Spring, who turned found driftwood into cunning
depictions of roast beef, sliced ham, coconut cake and petit fours.
Twenty-five hundred miles to the east, another restless
artist responded by adapting the luscious, compelling, yet cool style of
product advertisement to fine art. Andy Warhol's muses were soup cans, Brillo
boxes and dollar bills. Accordingly, Warhol saw American life at the beginning
of the decade as an odyssey into material culture. "Everybody was part
of the same culture now. Pop references let people know that they were what
was happening, that they didn't have to buy a book to be part of culture
-- all they had to do was to buy it." But to elevate Boston crème
pies, chicken noodle soup and Ben Day dots to cultural achievements was
not only fresh, it was slick and savvy. Critics decried its celebration,
but the fast acceptance of Pop by artists and collectors alike signaled
a seismic shift in American life.
This cultural swing in large part resulted from the swell
of Americans exposed daily to a myriad television, film, magazine, comic,
billboard and advertising influences during the 1960s. Even public policy
urged the growth of a consumerist lifestyle, and what artists couldn't help
but respond to was their admiration for abundance along with its sly critique.
Throughout the decade artists explored the impact of this postwar experience,
generating first Pop imagery and then other styles such as Op Art and West
Coast Funk.
While Warhol, James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein and Mel
Ramos created signature Pop works, a wide variety of often surprising artists
were also drawn to explore the new subject matter. This broad adoption shows
how Pop Art represented both a prevailing mood and an important influence.
The exhibition American Pop draws from regional collections and the Crocker's
own holdings to explore how Pop became one of the most successful, yet controversial
movements of the era, exerting a lasting impact upon contemporary production.
Highlighting Pop's ultimate expression is the special display
of Andy Warhol's Athletes Series. Begun in 1977 and completed in 1979, these
10 portraits capture the decade's athletic superstars with the late-20th-century's
stamp of fame -- a Warhol canvas. How Warhol came to photograph and "paint"
Dorothy Hamill, Muhammad Ali, Pele, and Jack Nicklaus reveals the ongoing
importance of friendships between patrons and artists in contemporary art.
- -- From the Crocker Art Museum Artletter
(July/Aug/Sep 2008).
-
-
(above: Mel Ramos, The Atom, 1962. Oil on canvas,
50 x 44 inches. Crocker Art Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Thiebaud)
-
Exhibition-related programs
- Saturday & Sunday, August 23 & 24, 10 a.m.-2
p.m.
- Highlight Tours
- Celebrate the opening weekend of American Pop
with a docent-led tour. Tours will depart from the Ballroom on the hour.
-
- Thursday, September 4, 6 p.m.
- Curator's Eye: Diana Daniels on American Pop
- Associate Curator Diana Daniels walks through the American
Pop exhibit, offering insights into the works selected for this survey
of Pop's East and West Coast variations. Reservations required. To register,
contact Stacy Beckley at (916) 808-1182 or sbeckley@cityofsacramento.org
by September 1.
-
- Friday, September 12, 2:30-4 p.m.
- Higher Education Forum: A Conversation with Richard Weisman
- Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to this
once-in-a-lifetime event featuring Richard Weisman, a major collector of
contemporary art and a friend of Andy Warhol and others in the 1970s New
York art scene. A part of the Warhol Factory, Richard Weisman commissioned
Andy Warhol's Athletes Series, selecting each subject from his circle of
friends. Weisman grew up in a family of art collectors as the son of Marcia
Weisman, a founder of the Lost Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and
nephew of Norton Simon, founder of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.
Space is limited for this program. To register, contact Caren Gutierrez
at (916) 808-1987 or cgutierrez@cityofsacramento.org by September 1.
-
- Saturday, September 13, 12-3 p.m.
- Second Saturday for Families: Patterns and Pop!
- Print pictures of everyday items in the style of Pop
artists. Enjoy a family tour of American Pop at 2 p.m.
Exhibition checklist
- 1. Terry Allen
- American, born 1943
- Boot, 1969
- Mixed media on paper
- 30 x 22 inches
- Collection of Ron and Cherie Petersen
-
- 2. John De Andrea
- American, born 1941
- Self Portrait with Sculpture,
1980
- Polyvinyl, oil paint and natural hair
- Life size
- Collection of Foster Goldstrom
-
- 3. Robert Arneson
- American, 1930-1992
- Blue Print for a Self Portrait,
1969
- Paint on canvas
- 32 x 26 inches
- Estate of Robert Arneson, courtesy of Brian Gross Fine
Art
- © Estate of Robert Arneson/Licensed by VAGA, New
York, NY
-
- 4. Robert Arneson
- American, 1930-1992
- Gold Trophy, 1972
- Ceramic
- 7 x 4 3/4 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, The Jane K. Witkin Collection, gift
of B. E. Witkin
-
- 5. Robert Arneson
- American, 1930-1992
- China Trophy, 1965
- Ceramic
- 28 3/4 x 13 1/4 x 6 inches
- Collection of Jane and Jack Stuppin
-
- 6. Robert Arneson
- American, 1930-1992
- Loving Cup, 1964
- Ceramic
- 11 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, offered gift of Majia Peeples-Bright
and Bill Bright
-
- 7. Darrell Forney
- American, 1933-2001
- Hem T Dem T, 1965
- Acrylic on canvas
- 9 x 9 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, gift of Carson P. Sheetz
- 1971.40
-
- 8. Llyn Foulkes
- American, born 1934
- Max Ernst Sleeping, 1975
(postcard series)
- Mixed media
- 15 x 17 inches
- Collection of Ron and Cherie Petersen
-
- 9. Wally Hedrick
- American, 19282003
- Star Amateur Electrician,
1974
- Ink on canvas
- 36 x 28 inches
- Lent by the Wally Hedrick Estate courtesy of G. B. Carson,
Berkeley
-
- 10. Robert Indiana
- American, born 1928
- Liberty '76, 1975
- Serigraph
- 38 x 34 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, gift of Lorillard, New York City
- 1975.28.6
-
- 11. Marilyn Levine
- American, 1935-2005
- Suitcase, 1971
- Ceramic
- 23 x 19 x 19 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, loan and promised gift of Simon K.
Chiu, Laguna Beach
-
- 12. Roy Lichtenstein
- American, 1923-1997
- Yellow Brush Stroke #1, 1965
- Lithograph
- 22 1/4 x 28 1/2 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase
- 1966.12.1
-
- 13. Roy Lichtenstein
- American, 1923-1997
- Pow, 1965
- Serigraph
- 37 1/2 x 27 inches
- The Leta and Mel Ramos Collection. Copyright Roy Lichtenstein,
1965.
-
- 14. Roy Lichtenstein
- American, 1923-1997
- Crying Girl, 1963
- Lithograph
- 18 x 24 inches
- The Leta and Mel Ramos Collection. Copyright Roy Lichtenstein,
1965.
-
- 15. Claes Oldenburg
- American (born Sweden), 1929
- Soft Drum Set, 1972 (edition
of 200)
- Acrylic, canvas, and wood
- Dimensions variable, approx. 12 1/4 x 20 3/4 x 14 inches
- Collection of Foster Goldstrom
-
- 16. Claes Oldenburg
- American (born Sweden), 1929
- Bat Spinning at the Speed of Light, 1975
- Lithograph
- 37 1/3 x 25 inches
- Collection of Lynn and Gary Upchurch
-
- 17. Nathan Oliveira
- American, born 1928
- Six Shooter, 1963
- Cast bronze
- 6 1/4 x 17 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches
- Collection of G. B. Carson, Berkeley
-
- 18. Mel Ramos
- American, born 1935
- The Atom, 1962
- Oil on canvas
- 50x 44 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Thiebaud
- 1986.6
-
- 19. Mel Ramos
- American, born 1935
- Monterey Jackie, 1965
- Oil on canvas
- 50 x 60 inches
- Collection of Doris and Russell Solomon
-
- 20. Robert Rauschenberg
- American, 1925-2008
- Watermark, 1973
- Silkscreen
- 35 1/4 x 24 1/4 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase with funds from the Maude
T. Pook Acquisition Fund
- 1975.18
-
- 21. Robert Rauschenberg
- American, 1925-2008
- Mule (1/33), 1974
- Silkscreen on fabric
- 70 x 35 inches
- Collection of Foster Goldstrom
-
- 22. Edward Ruscha
- American, born 1937
- Hollywood, 1968
- Lithograph
- 17 1/2 x 44 7/16
- Private Collection, San Francisco
-
- 23. Edward Ruscha
- American, born 1937
- Cherry, 1967
- Gun powder drawing
- 14 1/2 x 22 3/4 inches
- Private Collection, San Francisco
-
- 24. Edward Ruscha
- American, born 1937
- America, Her Best Product, 1974
- Lithograph, printed in colors
- 31 3/8 x 23 1/2 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, gift of Lorillard, New York City
- 1975.28.11
-
- 25. James Rosenquist
- American, born 1933
- Zone, 1972
- Lithograph on handmade paper
- 31 x 31 inches
- Lent anonymously (Lorrie and Richard Greene)
-
- 26. Barbara Spring
- American (born England), 1917
- A la Carte, 1961
- Wood
- 36 x 36 x 16 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Spring Family Trust
- 2007.3
-
- 27. Wayne Thiebaud
- American, born 1920
- Pies, Pies, Pies, 1961
- Oil on canvas
- 20 x 30 inches
- Crocker Art Museum, gift of Philip L. Ehlert in memory
of Dorothy Evelyn Ehlert
- 1974.12
-
- 28. Wayne Thiebaud
- American, born 1920
- Boston Cremes, 1962
- Oil on canvas
- 14 x 18 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase
- 1964.22
-
- 29. Wayne Thiebaud
- American, born 1920
- Cake Window, 1964
- Etching
- Sheet: 12 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches; Image: 4 7/8 x 6 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase
- 1995. 9.13
-
- 30. Wayne Thiebaud
- American, born 1920
- Candied Apples, 1964
- Etching
- Sheet: 12 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches, Image: 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase
- 1995.9.12
-
- 31. Wayne Thiebaud
- American, born 1920
- Club Sandwich, 1964
- Etching
- Sheet: 12 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches, Image: 4 x 5 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase
- 1995.9.14
-
- 32. Wayne Thiebaud
- American, born 1920
- Dispensers, 1964
- Etching
- Sheet: 12 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches, Image: 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 inches
- Crocker Art Museum Purchase
- 1995.9.9
-
- 33. Andy Warhol
- American, 1928-1987
- Warhol Authographed Soup Can (Chicken with Rice), 1966
- Solid metal with decals
- 4 inches
- Collection of Foster Goldstrom
-
- 34. Andy Warhol
- American, 1928-1987
- Campbell's Soup (Chicken Noodle),
1968
- Screen print in colors
- 35 x 23 inches
- Collection of Carol and James Brosnahan