Over the past week, various Washington, D.C. publications have featured fall arts previews. I found the Washington City Paper's "State of the Arts" insert a wonderful overview of the area's upcoming exhibitions -- if you haven't picked up a copy yet, make sure you do before Thursday!
What struck me was the upcoming openings of two related exhibitions: "Warhol: Headlines" at the National Gallery of Art, and "Andy Warhol: Shadows" at the Hirshhorn. Although I initially thought that these simultaneous exhibitions would create a conflict between the institutions, I now think that they will instead provide an interesting dialogue.
"Warhol: Headlines"focuses on his tabloid-inspired pieces, his fascination with celebrity, and appropriation. In typical Warhol fashion, the exhibition will ask the viewer to analyze the differences between commonplace tabloids and high art. Through the display of over 80 works, the exhibition promises to explore Warhol's fascination with sensationalism. The mediums range from paintings, drawings, prints, photography and sculpture to film, video and television. The NGA bills the exhibition as an exploration of the theme of headlines and the connection to Warhol's fascination with celebrity and current events, to name a few.
The Hirshhorn's exhibition, "Andy Warhol: Shadows", focuses on the later years of his career. Over one hundred silkscreens and hand-painted canvases will be on display. This exhibition's installation particularly piques my interest. The large-scale panels will be installed edge-to-edge in an uninterrupted flow around the curving walls of the museum. The Hirshhorn insists that the installation will provide a unique chance to see the work in its entirety, all 450 feet of it.
Unlike the NGA's exhibition, which will span Warhol's career and engage with a variety of themes and mediums, "Andy Warhol: Shadows" provides a narrowed scope of the artist's works. By focusing on the last decade of Warhol's life, I hope that an interesting juxtaposition to the NGA exhibition is created.
Both exhibitions are opening on September 25, 2011. I plan to visit both exhibitions the following weekend, at which time I can see for myself if the exhibitions create a dialogue, or if they simply overlap and provide duplicitous approaches to Warhol's works. Based on the two press releases, it looks like they are aiming for the former.
It raises the question in my mind, though, if museums have an obligation to work with other, potentially competing, museums in favor of the visitor experience. Or, in their self-interest, should museums focus on the quality of their exhibition and amp up their advertising?
Interesting choice of artist for Washington, DC and now, in spades. It's a small DC artworld and they open simultaneously, so it does seem like a partnership and not a competition. I am not certain that the NGA is the Hirshhorn's natural competition--I don't think the NGA has any competition in the city. Their advertising seems minimal relative to their size and the size of their budget (again, they simply just have "to exist"). The Hirshhorn may have decided to piggyback in a natural way on the NGA's decision to show Warhol, placing their bets on the artist's name recognition as well as the NGA's exhibition. Let's see what the bloggers write when these exhibitions open!
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