© The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Self Portrait in Drag (blond curly wig)
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The most renowned
artist to emerge in the early 1960s, Andy Warhol developed a mechanical
approach to art in reaction to the emotionally charged ‘high’ art of Abstract
Expressionism in the mid-20th century. In his art, which ranged from painting
and film to photography, Warhol employed popular and commercial techniques—such
as silk screening, a Polaroid camera, and passport photo booths—and depicted
household names, whether consumer products (such as Brillo, Campbell, and
Coca-Cola) or celebrities (such as Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Onassis). He often
made himself a subject of his art. Through performance, make up, and wigs,
Warhol composed physical barriers to mask his personal identity.
Warhol’s Self-Portraits
series does not offer insights into the artist’s soul; rather it highlights his
chameleon-like ability to disguise his individuality through glamorous poses,
illustrating the artist’s famous quote “The Best American Invention—To be able
to Disappear.”
Provenance[PaceWildensteinMacGill, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1992.
Exhibition History"Ruptures and Continuities: Photography Made after 1960 from the MFAH Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Foundation Galleries, February 21 - May 9, 2010.
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