Andy Warhol: Show Me the Money!

Saturday 18th December 2010

Installation of Andy Warhol Enterprises at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

I think it goes without saying that not all artists are in it for the money, many artists construct, create and innovate because that's what they love to do. Andy Warhol, however, was definitely in it for the money.

The commercial and business aspects of art fascinated Warhol and infiltrated every aspect of his artistic practice. Before Warhol truly became Warhol as most of us know him, he was a commercial artist for magazines and publications, creating illustrations for articles or advertisements.

Upon breaking into fine art circles, Warhol didn't dropped the commercial drive that had brought him from Pittsburgh to New York in the first place, in fact, he saw the creation of art as an opportunity to make big bucks.

Warhol and Pop Art are inseparable; Pop Art being a movement that started in England, but really found its leg in the US where artists were truly able to grab hold of commodity culture and popular culture that was built on ease of living and excess.

Warhol was building up his Pop Art oeuvre at a time when the New York Abstract Expressionists were bringing art down to abstracted canvases depicting the emotive stroke of the paint brush or the emotional pull of colour above that of figurative depiction. There are artists like Jackson Pollock creating his 'paint splash' canvases or Franz Cline with his sweeping monotone depictions.

In parallel to the Abstract Expressionists, Warhol was working at a time when Capitalism in was viewed skeptically or even with hostility by many artists and creative types.

Warhol was never shy about his exploits in the art world, and never tried to hide his commercial goals or drive for money. He is famously quoted as having said that "Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art". He also named his studio The Factory, opening alluding to is as a place where works are commercially produced on mass for economic gain. Throughout his career, money, consumerism and celebrity culture have filled his canvases as he depicts everything from dollar signs to Elvis Presley, sex and drugs to Superman.

Right now there is an exhibition of Warhols work at the Indianapolis Museum of Art entitled, Andy Warhol Enterprises. The exhibition takes a look at Warhol as businessman and commercially successful artist; taking views on how Warhol treated money and art during his life.

The show runs until 2nd January, visit the website for more information about visiting.

Posted on December 18th 2010 on 02:30pm

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