Becoming Andy Warhol

After showing at UCCA Beijing in the summer and autumn of 2021, “Becoming Andy Warhol,” the most comprehensive exhibition by the artist staged to date in China, will travel to UCCA Edge in Shanghai. The exhibition will reprise a selection of works shown at its first installment in Beijing, drawn from the extensive collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, and specially curated to respond to the space and setting of UCCA Edge. Based on groundbreaking research, the show innovatively brings together Warhol’s classic paintings, prints, and drawings with his films and photography. Structured through five sections, the exhibition crafts a non-linear narrative that begins with a focus on Warhol’s early work, archival material, and historical photographs, underlining the influence of his youth in Pittsburgh on his practice as a whole. The presentations in Beijing and Shanghai mark the first time an approach of this depth has been featured in a solo exhibition for the artist outside of The Andy Warhol Museum. The exhibition goes on to explore different periods from Warhol’s career through representative works including his first forays blurring the boundaries between fine and commercial art in 1950s New York, iconic paintings from the 1960s, and pieces inspired by New York’s vibrant street culture in the 1980s. In addition to these paintings and prints, the exhibition also asserts the importance of the artist’s photography by showcasing images that served as a basis for his other works, as well as examining how influences from his early life and upbringing shaped experimental, abstract work made later in his career. The exhibition is curated by José Carlos Diaz and Patrick Moore, Chief Curator and Director of The Andy Warhol Museum, respectively.