MUNCH AND WARHOL: SCANDINAVIA HOUSE UP‐ENDS … · Munch 150, an international celebration in...
Transcript of MUNCH AND WARHOL: SCANDINAVIA HOUSE UP‐ENDS … · Munch 150, an international celebration in...
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE MediaContacts: February20,2013 AnneEdgar,AnneEdgarAssociates
[email protected],646.336.7230 KateErickson,ScandinaviaHouse,
[email protected],212.847.9717
MUNCHANDWARHOL:SCANDINAVIAHOUSEUP‐ENDSCONVENTIONALWISDOMONTWOARTICONS
NewYork—BeginningSaturday,April27,TheAmerican‐
ScandinavianFoundation(ASF)atScandinaviaHouse:TheNordic
CenterinAmericaoffersintriguingnewinsightsintotheoeuvresof
twoartistswhowouldseemtohavelittleincommonasidefrom
havingbeenextensivelyresearchedaroundtheworldand
posthumouslyenshrinedinartandculture,highandlow.
OnviewthroughSaturday,July27,2013,MUNCH|WARHOLandthe
MultipleImagepairsfin‐de‐sièclelithographsbyEdvard
Munchwithlarge‐scalescreenprintsbyAndyWarhol.Thethrilling,
Day‐GlohuedworksmadebyWarhol,afterMunch,inthemid‐1980s
willsurprisemanyvisitors:whileknowntoexperts,theserieswas
neverwasneverpublishedasanedition,nordisplayed
comprehensivelyintheU.S.
MUNCH|WARHOLhasbeenco‐organizedbyoneoftheworld’sauthoritiesonMunch,PatriciaG.
Berman,professorofarthistoryatWellesleyCollegeandtheUniversityofOslo,incollaboration
withPariStave,consultingcuratortoScandinaviaHouse,aspartofMunch150,aninternational
celebrationin2013markingthe150thanniversaryofMunch’sbirth.MUNCH|WARHOListhe
onlyMunch150projectintheUnitedStates.
AndyWarhol(1928‐1987)TheScream(AfterMunch),1984.Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board, 40x32in.(101.6x81.28cm)TheAndyWarholMuseum,Pittsburgh,FoundingCollection,ContributionofTheAndyWarholFoundationfortheVisualArts,Inc.1998.1.2546©2013TheAndyWarholFoundationfortheVisualArts,Inc./ArtistsRightsSociety(ARS),NewYork
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“ThisexhibitionisperfectlytimedtohonorNorway’sEdvardMunch,anartistwhosepaintingswere
firstdisplayedinthiscountryinScandinavianArtExhibitionof1912,alandmarkexhibition
organizedbyTheAmerican‐ScandinavianFoundation,”notesEdwardP.Gallagher,Presidentofthe
ASF.“ItisgratifyingtoseetheFoundationcontinuetocontributetotheappreciationofMunch
morethanacenturylater.”
MUNCH|WARHOLfindsasurprisinglyclosealignmentbetweentwoartistswhomightotherwise
seemtooccupyutterlydifferentplanetsbyfocusingontheirvariationsonfourfamousMunch
motifs—TheScream,Madonna,Self‐PortraitwithSkeletonArm,andTheBrooch.Eva
Mudocci.“EventhoughWarholofferedhimselfupasallsurface,andMunch,allimpenetrable
depth,thisexhibitionfindsmanysimilaritiesinthewaysinwhichthetwoartistsbuilttheircareers
bycarefullycontrollingtheirpublicpersonasandartisticproduction,”remarksDr.Berman.
“Munch’shabitofrepeatingmotifshasbeenunderstoodtobepromptedbycompulsionand
anxiety,”continuesDr.Berman.“Butitalsohelpedhimgetthroughdryperiods,whenheneeded
money,andwasastrategyheusedtoreassurehisaudienceasheexperimentedwithnew
styles.Farfrombeinganisolate,Munchwasverymuchincontrolofhiscareer,demandingand
winningtherighttosequencehisworksinexhibitionandkeepingholdofthereinsonthesellingof
hisart.”
“The31printsonviewhereinviteaclosereadingofthecraftofprintmakingitself,aswellas
meditationonwhatisanoriginalandwhatisacopy,”saysDr.Berman.“Thevisitorwillfindrare
examplesbyMunchshowcasinghisdelicatehand‐tintinganduseofdiaphanousJapanpaperas
wellaslarge‐scaleprintsbyWarholillustratinghisuseofa‘rainbowroll,’theeffectthatemerges
whenasqueegeeispulledacrossasilkscreen,creatingmulti‐coloredlinesthatlooklikevaricolored
yarn.”
Oneoftheexhibition’shighlights,Munch’strialproofforSelf‐PortraitwithSkeletonArm(1895),
whichhasneverbeforebeenseenintheU.S.,exemplifieshowthenatureofprintmakinginforms
themeaningoftheseworks.Fortheself‐portrait,Munchdrewdirectlyonalithographicstone,and
oncetheimagewasprintedonpaper,handpainteditsbackground.Theresultisamore
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conventionalself‐portraitthanevolvedinsubsequentiterations:thelater,andmorefamiliar,
versionintheexhibitiondepictsMunchasafacefloatinginthecenterofapoolofblackdarkness.
InWarhol’shands,thevariationscontinued,includingeightdiptychsonviewintheexhibition
pairingMunch’sMadonnaandSelf‐PortraitwithSkeletonArm.Here,Munch’siconictemptress
framedwithapatternofundulatingspermandafetus‐likeshape,andtherestrainedself‐portrait,
arenowbroughttogetherasanimprobablycouple.Viewerswillseehow,afterWarhol’smaster
printerRupertJasonSmithprintedthesilkscreen,WarholinterpretedMunch’sdelicatelydrawn
linesasstrongdecorativeformsinSelf‐PortraitwithSkeleton’sArm,perhapsinparttoechothe
swirlsandverticallinesoftheMadonna.
MUNCH|WARHOLdevotesasectiontothatmostfamousofculturalicons,TheScream(1895),
showinghowWarholinonecaseblewuptheimagetonearlyfivefeetandinsevenversions
pushedittothebrinkoffeelingandvisualdissolution.Despitehisstanceofsuperficiality,Warhol
seemstohavedevotedanunusualamountofefforttocreatingvariationsonTheScreamthat
intensifiedthealreadycombustibleemotionoftheoriginal.Heexperimentedwithjuxtaposinghot
colorswithcool;printingintentionallyoutofregister,endowingthescreamwithanear‐physical
vibration;andtracingMunch’slines,whilestrippingtheimageoftones,sothattheiconicfigure
becameincreasinglydisembodied.
“WhenWarholwascommissionedtoappropriateMunch’smotifs,onemasterofrepetitionand
multiplicationtookonanother.Hislarge‐scaleprintsbothparodyandhonortheNorwegianartist’s
work,oscillatingbetweensurfaceanddepth,experimentandproductionline,anddisclosureand
effacement,”saysDr.Berman.
Publication
MUNCH|WARHOLwillbeaccompaniedbyafullyillustratedcatalogue,available
nationwide.FeaturinganessaybyDr.BermanandPariStave’sinterviewwithartdealerRoland
Augustine,formerco‐directorofGalleriBellman,whichcommissionedtheWarholproject.The
catalogueispublishedbytheASFanddistributedintheUnitedStatesbyD.A.P.
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Organization&Support
MUNCH|WARHOLandtheMultipleImagewasmadepossiblebycontributionsfromtheRoyal
NorwegianConsulateGeneralinNewYork,Mr.andMrs.TrondS.Jensen,KjerstiandBerntReitan,
NelsonBlitz,Jr.andCatherineWoodard,theBårdandBarbaraBunaesFamilyFund,andBente
SvensenFrantz.AdditionalsupporthascomefromTheBarbroOsherProSueciaFoundation’s
generousgrantforScandinaviaHouseculturalprogramsandexhibitions,aswellasTheF.Donald
KenneyFundfortheVisualArtsandTheNorwegianCentennialCulturalFundofTheAmerican‐
ScandinavianFoundation.TransportationofartworksfromNorwaywasprovidedbySAS
ScandinavianAirlines.Theexhibition’scompanioncataloguehasbeenmadepossiblebyagrant
fromtheFrittOrdFoundation.
TheAmerican‐ScandinavianFoundation& ScandinaviaHouse:TheNordicCenterinAmerica
IncorporatedinNewYorkStatein1911,theASFistheleadingculturalandeducationallink
betweentheU.S.andtheNordiccountries.Itisapublicly‐supported,non‐profit501(c)(3)
organizationthatprovidesaforumfortheexchangeofideasandculturalunderstandingandhasan
extensiveprogramoffellowships,grants,internships/trainingprograms,publishing,membership
offerings,andculturalactivities.
ScandinaviaHouse–hometotheASF–offersawiderangeofprogramspresentingcontemporary
Nordicculturethatencompassesthevisualarts,music,andliteraturealongwithpublicpolicy,
business,finance,andtechnology.Theseprogramsincludeart,design,andhistoricalexhibitionsas
wellasfilms,concerts,readings,lectures,symposia,languagecourses,andkidsandfamily
programsthatillustrateandilluminatethemodern‐dayvitalityoftheNordiccountries.Scandinavia
Houseislocatedat58ParkAvenue,at38thStreet,NewYorkCity.3rdFloorGalleryhoursare
TuesdaythroughSaturday,12to6pm(Wednesdayuntil7pm).Galleryadmissionis$5($3Seniors
&StudentswithavalidID;FreeforASFMembers).Formoreinformation,
visit:scandinaviahouse.org,amscan.org,Facebook,Twitter,YouTube.
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