The Andy Warhol Museum has everything you're looking for -- and more.
Last week, my boyfriend and I took a trip to the Andy Warhol museum. After we paid for admission, the secretary told us to start on the 7th floor and work our way down. So up the elevator we went!
“Art is what you can get away with.” - Andy Warhol
And that is exactly what Andy Warhol did. After getting off the elevator on the 7th floor, we saw a timeline of Warhol's most relevant moments from his early life into the 60s. Then, as soon as we entered the room to the right containing Warhol's early works, we saw a diagram of men's genitalia that Warhol completed. While the diagram had an informative purpose, other works had more aesthetic purposes. On a different floor, films that Warhol made were played on loop, which also featured naked people. But art doesn't have to have naked people for it to be considered controversial. The museum also contained Warhol's more famous works, such as the prints of Mao Zedong and Jackie Kennedy, which at their times of creation put people into a tizzy.
And that's not all Warhol "got away" with. Towards the end of the tour was a floor dedicated entirely to archives. This floor included Warhol's collections for inspiration, as well as time capsules that Warhol made throughout his life. These consisted of letters, magazines, and other souvenirs. A few of the time capsules' contents were on display, but the back of the room was closed off. In which, visitors could see shelves upon shelves filled with boxes labeled "T01" and "T99." It was then that I began to question where people draw the line between "avid collector" and "hoarder."
I could go on, and post more pictures, but I don't want to give away too much. Overall, the museum was chock-full of photographs, documents, and artwork throughout Warhol's life. Dude, they even had some of Warhol's old report cards, and he got a C in Picture and Dec. Design. With that in mind, don't give up on your dreams knowing that one of the greatest artists of all time didn't get an A+ in every single art class.
By the time we left, I felt like he was a long-lost family member. I also came up with a conspiracy theory that the government probably killed him. Like, who dies at age 58 due to gallbladder surgery "complications"?
Rest in power, Andy.
If you're ever in Pittsburgh with a couple hours on your hands, stop by!
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