Who Shot Andy Warhol? (The Musical)

December 7th, 2009 § 0

POP! A New Musical @ Yale Repertory Theater

POP! A New Musical @ Yale Repertory Theater

I was thrilled when I saw a poster promoting a new musical based on the life and art of Andy Warhol.

The world premiere run of POP!, underway at Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, CT, through December 19, has been very well received and was glowingly reviewed in both the Boston Globe and New York Times. It isn’t everyday that an art-themed musical emerges, so I was both excited and apprehensive about seeing it. Warhol is such an iconic figure in the history of art, and I was unsure that a musical could really capture this infamous and mysterious person.

And that is exactly what the musical sets out to do. Instead of focusing on his art, POP! hones in on Warhol’s relationships with key people in his life, like right-hand man Gerard Malanga or transsexual muse Candy Darling. The six figures that flow in and out of the scenes define Warhol more concretely than he ever did, illuminating not only the mind behind the art, but also the mysterious person that they, as well as the art world, were captivated with. They are more than happy to tell volumes about the difficult genius–but Andy speaks his lines in enigmatic tones and hides behind his sunglasses, offering only an empty paper bag to solve any and every problem. He plays the role of the voyeur, much as he did in life.

Darling emcees this over the top murder-mystery musical that takes place in Warhol’s famous Silver Factory in New York City. Set in June of 1968, the show revolves around the attempted murder of Andy Warhol, an event I hadn’t realized had been a part of his life. The Factory is rendered as an industrial yet artsy playground for the cast and serves as a wonderful backdrop to the colorful personalities that epitomize the ’60’s. While there is definitely an art-inspired component to the set (mostly in the form of a large projections and live camera feeds), the focus remains on the personal relationships in Warhol’s life.

My favorite scene took place at a New York City bar where Warhol trespasses on the turf of some famous abstract expressionists: Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Jackson Pollock. The “cowboys” of the art world, Motherwell, Kline, and Pollock are seen here as if they come straight out of a western movie, only they use paintbrushes instead of revolvers. The ensuing duel involves splatter painting, expressions of emotion, and the production of an abstract expressionist work of art on the back wall of the theater. A scathing commentary on this pivotal art movement, it was also incredibly hilarious. Upon seeing the work, Warhol simply comments, “I’ve always liked your little splatter paints. They look like so much fun!”

POP! is an experience not to be missed by any art historian or theater lover. The cast is extremely talented, the story is both fascinating and informative, and this unique study of modern art makes art history not only jump off the page, but also dance, sing, and perform the scandalous but true story of one of the most influential artists of our time.

The audience is left with one burning question: Who is Andy Warhol?

POP! at Yale Reperatory Theater through December 19
Visit their website for more information

Art and Fashion

November 22nd, 2009 § 7

It makes sense that the worlds of high fashion and art often collide, and lately I’ve come across quite a few crossovers.  Below, a few of the curious collaborations and inspirations I’ve come across recently.

(Left to right) Warhol-inspired perfume; Delftware boot vase; Lady Gaga in Vogue, December '09.(Left to right) Warhol-inspired perfume; Delftware boot vase; Lady Gaga in Vogue, December ‘09.

  • For $220, you can smell like Andy Warhol’s Money series with Bond No. 9 New York — Andy Warhol perfume. Apparently, the prints smell spicy and citrusy. Who knew?
  • Here’s a really unusual gift idea from ELLE’s December 2009 issue… Delftware-inspired Wellington rain boots — that aren’t rain boots at all, but in fact porcelain vases.
  • Award for most simultaneously awesome and bizarre fashion/art crossover yet: Lady Gaga’s feature in Vogue’s December 2009 issue, where she poses as the witch in Grace Coddington’s interpretation of Hansel and Gretel.  In her feature, Lady Gaga describes her performance for the LA Museum of Contemporary Art gala, at which she played a piano made by Damien Hirst. Here’s hoping her next music video not only features the craziest of runway fashion, but some contemporary art too–might I suggest a dance segment alongside one of Jeff Koon’s metallic balloon dogs?

Have I missed any happenings between art & fashion? Let me know in the comments!

Big Questions for the Met’s Thomas Campbell…and you

November 10th, 2009 § 5

Last night the Colbert Report hosted Metropolitan Museum of Art director Thomas Campbell to ask him some probing questions about the elitist art world that are on every “Blue Collar Joe Six-Pack”’s mind. Did you catch the segment? If not, click over to Comedy Central and stream that episode immediately (Campbell starts at about 16 minutes in).

It might be satire, but Colbert asks the big questions that everyone should be asking of museums: What is the point of art?  Is art only good if an art critic says it’s good?  Can “good” art exist without an audience? Who decides how much art is worth? Who decides what goes in a museum?  Colbert even begins by saying: “I don’t like art…and that’s mainly because I don’t get art.” So I ask a further question: How can museums help visitors feel more comfortable around the art — how can we make them feel like they “get it”? (Further, how can we help them feel comfortable with the fact that it’s OK to not “get it” — after all, isn’t that why art is studied: because we never feel like we’ve completely plumbed the interpretations of a work of art?)

These are huge, massive questions. I don’t really think that museum staff have the answer to most of them, and that’s probably why we do what we do — because we want to begin to answer them. I do think they’re questions we should ask ourselves and our visitors, because they can help us learn more about our audience and about our collections and institutions.  So as a museum educator, I’m asking all of you, how would you answer the big questions put to Campbell last night? How can museums help you “get art”? Comment away!

(PS: A final thought… Colbert ends by asking about the art housed in the Met: “Do they [the public] vote? Do you let them vote?” He’s met with a chuckle, but what an interesting web 2.0/feedback venture that would be… to ask visitors as they exit: do you think we should keep this work on view in the Museum; why or why not? Would you want to do something like that in a Museum?)

Highlights of Rome

August 30th, 2009 § 6

Like many museums in Europe, most of Rome’s most famous museums don’t allow photography.  (Or, if they do, I’m sorry to say I was unable to take pictures because I was in class while visiting them!)  As a result, most of the images in this installment of Art in Real Life are of famous Italian places, rather than paintings–which, to be honest, I sometimes find more immediately exciting than canvases on a wall in a museum.  These structures are almost all still exactly where they were hundreds of years ago when they were first built, and their size and age is mesmerizing.  Rome is one of the best places in the world to be wonderfully overwhelmed by how old everything is, to wander and lose yourself on the same cobblestones Renaissance greats did. As always, nothing can top actually being there, but hopefully these tourist-y glimpses into Rome will help you feel more like you’re in the city than an art history class’ slides or PowerPoints do.

Click on any of the pictures below to open the gallery; click next (or type “n” on your keyboard) to view the next photo.

TAHB’s Art in Real Life series: Paris | Brussels | Rome

Georgia O’Keeffe: The Movie

August 20th, 2009 § 1

Odd news of the day: Lifetime’s making a straight-to-TV movie about none other than Georgia O’Keeffe, which premieres on September 19.  My first reaction: Oh dear.  Seconds later: I’m definitely still skeptical.  If you’re brave enough, set your DVRs, art buffs.  My guess is this won’t be PBS-quality… but it might still be amusing.

Georgia O’Keeffe premieres September 19 at 9pm EST | Website

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