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| - (I have only been to one exhibit here, so until I see how other exhibits fare, 3 stars. Also, this is a piece I wrote for a magazine that never published it.)
"People either love Andy Warhol, or they hate him" quipped Warhol Out West exhibit tour guide, Gina, "And I think he loved that people felt that way about him."
It's easy to see why people feel so strongly. In today's world of Instagram filters and Photoshop, people may look at his work and say, "I can do that!" or "that's not art!" But don't let the simple or mundane of Warhol's style fool you. He spoke about society through his work in a very tongue-in-cheek way.
The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art's showing of Warhol Out West, is currently displaying 59 pieces of his work on loan from The Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, the birthplace of Andy Warhol.
From the famous soup cans, to screen tests, balloons to ballroom dancing instructions, the exhibit has a little bit of everything from Warhol's work. Also included in the collection are less famous works, such as his Polaroid pictures of celebrities, which have influenced the likes of celebrity photographer Terry Richardson, or Warhol's rendition of American Master Charles Schreyvogel's "Breaking through the Line."
Portraits of Geronimo, Annie Oakley and General Custer, along with others from the "Cowboys and Indians" collection, are on display. It is in this collection that Warhol's critique of society shines through.
When the docent turned to the small crowd gathered around her, she asked "So what do you think of Warhol's work?" Two people on the tour had competing ideas about it. "I just love how he could see beauty and form in the everyday piece and elevate it to high art" and another observer, "We're standing in a five-star resort, and paid money to look at balloons and soup cans. This was clearly one big joke to him and one big eff you to pretentious people in the art world. He turned his joke into a money-making deal for himself. Good for him."
For those unfamiliar with Warhol's work, this exhibit is the perfect chance for you to pick a side - was Warhol serious about his art, or was he making a buck while simultaneously saying through his work, "don't hate the artist; hate the art game?" You decide.
Audio tours are available all day and docent led tours, which are highly suggested, are offered every day at 2 p.m. Tours are free with admission. $16 general admission, $13 for Nevada residents, $11 for students with ID.
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