Andy Warhol's Quick Pix and Pop Icons Opens in San Francisco Bay Area Sunday, April 11, Through June 20, 2010

(PRWEB) March 31, 2010 -- Photography was the foundation for most of Andy Warhol's artistic process, as "Quick Pix and Pop Icons" demonstrates. Along with more than 60 Polaroid and 8 x 10 black and white photographs selected from the Saint Mary's College collection, are mixed media drawings, photosilkscreens, lithographs, and paintings from major museum collections and private collections.

Selected works include the iconic Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy, Dolly Parton, Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, Ronald Reagan, Flowers, Tomato Soup Cans, Electric Chairs, the da Vinci inspired Annunciation, the One Cent series, and other favorite Warhol subjects: athletes, catwalk models, transvestites, Factory regulars, nudes, New York scenes, and the stunning but rarely seen advertising-inspired works, Pop Art's continuing importance is on display with significant paintings and prints by other major Pop Artists including Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Mel Ramos and Tom Wesselman.

The photographs were awarded to Saint Mary's College in 2008 by the Andy Warhol foundation through The Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program to provide greater access to Warhol's artwork.

Many artists began to use popular images as the foundation for their art in the Sixties, but no one had the vision and impact of Warhol. Viewers will move back and forth between the decades of the 60s, 70s, and 80s in this exhibition, and between Warhol's art, work, and life, " inseparable parts of a fascinating whole, " according to Warhol Foundation president Joel Wachs. "A wealth of information about Warhol's process and his interaction with his sitters is revealed in these images," adds Jenny Moore, curator of the Photography Legacy Project. "Through his rigorous, almost unconscious, consistency in shooting, the true idiosyncrasies of his subjects were exposed."

The Hearst is grateful to the following lenders for making "Quick Pix and Pop Icons" possible: the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford, the San Jose Museum of Art, and private collectors the Leta and Mel Ramos Family, Dave House, Robert Harshorn Shimshak and Marion Brenner, Jane Daggett Dillenberger Robert Gaiti, and Foster Goldstrom.

Opening Day Events: Sunday, April 11, at 2 PM

A panel discussion with Robert Taylor, moderator, Wesley Gibson, guest curator, and Dan Leopard. Reception following, free.

Panelists -

Wesley Gibson MFA, Brown University, is the author of two novels. He teaches creative writing, English, and a popular field course on contemporary art in the San Francisco galleries and museums.

Dan Leopard, PhD from the School of Cinema-Television, University of Southern California, has written on Warhol, avant-garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage, and the use of videogame aesthetics in training simulations by the US Army. Dr. Leopard teaches film courses, including a semester course on Warhol's films.

Robert Taylor is the former fine arts writer of the Contra Costa Times. His work has appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, Los Angeles Times, Diablo Arts and Southwest Arts magazines.

Film Event: "Warhol the Filmmaker, " a lecture and screening by David E. James

Wednesday, April 14, at 7 PM.

David E. James, PhD, is a professor at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, Academy Film Scholar, Getty Fellow, and author of numerous books on Hollywood and avant-garde film and music. free. Sponsored by the Disney Forum and the SMC Communications Department.

Exhibition hours: Wednesdays - Sundays, 11 AM - 4:30 P

Admission: Adults: $3; K - 12 grade students free

Main Gallery telephone: 925.631.4379

The exhibition is on view through Sunday, June 20, 2010. The Hearst Art Gallery is accredited by the American Association of Museums.

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