Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1986, The Andy Warhol Museum, © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc
Please Note: This 2-session online program will not be recorded.
Many critics consider Andy Warhol a mirror of his time. Join Grace Marston, arts educator at the Andy Warhol Museum, as she delves into how historical events in the United States and around the world affected Warhol’s art and life. Marston presents artworks from the museum’s permanent collection, including works that are rarely on public display.
August 14 1950s and 1960s
As the United States emerged from World War II into a post-war economic boom, Warhol’s career in the advertising industry also took off. Marston illuminates his early career and works and the influences of the 1950s—including phenomena such as the Red Scare and the Lavender Scare (particularly Warhol’s subversion of heteronormative culture)—and how the civil rights movement, the assassination of JFK, the Vietnam War, and the sexual revolution were manifested in Warhol’s art and films of the 1960s.
August 21 1970s and 1980s
As politics took center stage in the 1970s and 1980s, Warhol created portraits featuring world leaders such as Richard Nixon, Mao Zedong, Jimmy Carter, and the shah of Iran. Marston considers Warhol’s paintings of hammers and sickles in the context of socialist uprisings across the globe, his complex relationship with the Reagan family, and his camouflage artwork in the context of the many military operations during the Reagan administration. Also discussed is the impact of the AIDS crisis on Warhol’s life and career.
2 sessions
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit total (1/2 credit per session)*
General Information
*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.
