“Andy Warhol is the Raphael of mass society - from the surface to the depths of every image, making it immediately available, ready to consume.” These are the words of Achille Bonito Oliva who, with the expert of Pop Art Edoardo Falcioni, have put together the large exhibition on the American artist, recently inaugurated at the Fabbrica del Vapore. At the former Milanese factory, which once produced materials for trams and trains, 300 vividly colourful works offer a complete portrait of Warhol. From the visual arts to fashion, from music to investment projects, the talents of this well-rounded creative mind emerge through original paintings, singular pieces, celebrated silk-screens, drawings, photos and authentic cult items, such as the album covers created and signed by the artist. And to really dive deep into the world of Warhol, a faithful reconstruction of his first “Factory” and a series of videos to be viewed using 3D glasses. The journey through the Pop Art revolution begins in the 1950s when he had already earned a reputation as a designer, to then move onto the icons of the successive decade - his Campbell’s Soup, his portraits of Liz Taylor and Marilyn, the worn face of Jacqueline at the funeral of President Kennedy. Ample space is dedicated to his relationship with young artists and creative types in the New York of the 1980s, from Keith Haring to Jean-Michel Basquiat, for whom Warhol was a sort of spiritual father. And speaking of the spirit, the exhibiton examines an unexpected aspect - his profound connection with the sacred which, despite appearances, accompanied the artist for his entire life.
