Andy Warhol—
From A to B and 
Back Again

Nov 12, 2018–Mar 31, 2019


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Performance and Experimentation

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On June 3, 1968, Warhol was shot multiple times by the mentally ill, radical feminist author Valerie Solanas, who had appeared in two of Warhol’s films. Although he required numerous surgeries and a lengthy convalescence, Warhol soon returned to a high level of productivity, reinvesting himself in his work. 

At this moment, Warhol pursued a number of more conceptual projects, curating exhibitions and producing his only play, Pork. He also began experimenting with video.

Andy Warhol vacuuming the carpet for an installation piece, c. 1972

Warhol vacuuming an empty gallery.
Warhol vacuuming an empty gallery.

Michael Kostiuk, Andy Warhol vacuuming the carpet for an installation piece, c. 1972. Gelatin silver print, 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm). The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 1998.3.4859.2. © 2018 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

This photograph documents Warhol’s contribution to the 1972 group exhibition Art in Process V at the Finch College Museum of Art on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The museum (now defunct) asked all participating artists to produce new work onsite, which would be shown along with photographic documentation of its creation. Warhol staged a performance in which he unboxed and assembled a brand-new Eureka canister vacuum, cleaned the gallery’s rug, and then removed and signed the vacuum’s bag, which was included in the exhibition.

  • A water-spray system in front of a big print of daisies.
    A water-spray system in front of a big print of daisies.

    Installation photograph, Andy Warhol's Rain Machine (Daisy Waterfall), 1970 at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph courtesy LACMA archives

  • Six rolls of colorful mylar films.
    Six rolls of colorful mylar films.

    Part of the Warhol Film program:

    Andy Warhol, Mylar and Plexiglas Construction, c.1970 Six Mylar rolls on cardboard tubes with Plexiglas slabs, rollers, and pegs, 102 3/8 x 39 3/8 x 137 in. (260 x 100 x 350 cm) Private ownership, Courtesy Daniel Blau. © 2018 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

  • A black and white photograph of Andy Warhol and his cast.
    A black and white photograph of Andy Warhol and his cast.

    On view in the exhibition:

    Andy Warhol with the cast of his play “Pork” at La Mama, May 1971. Courtesy Jack Mitchell Archives

  • related section 10

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Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

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