antePOP Drawings 1958-1962: Andy Warhol

The Anton Kern Gallery is proud to offer a view into the early work of Andy Warhol (1928 –1987) through an exhibition of drawings from 1958 -1962.

The twenty-five drawings on display distinguish themselves from the familiarity of Warhol’s drawings exhibited in recent years; they do not yet fully fit into the programmatic agenda of Pop Art. Prior to this show these pieces have never been presented to the public.

The execution of these works is primarily in pencil with an accentuated use of gouache and ink. This combination, paired with the treatment of tape as a collage element offers remarkable insight into this early moment of Warhol’s artistic coming-of-age.

Borrowing from contemporary photographs, Warhol drew anonymous people, arranged scenes, intimate friends, and many children – laughing and playing, and doing what children ought to do. The human figure remains central throughout the work. Representation emerges silhouette-like, yet Warhol reveals just enough to enliven and animate his subjects. In some cases, his gestured line exposes traces of individual character.

With this collection of drawings, antePOP presents new discoveries from the work of Andy Warhol that illuminates the art practice of the Andy Warhol before Pop.

“Usually, all I need is tracing paper and a good light. I can’t understand why I wasn’t an abstract expressionist, because with my shaking hand I could have been a natural.” – Andy Warhol

antePOP – Drawings 1958 - 1962 is presented in conjunction with Galerie Daniel Blau, Munich. In 1998, Anton Kern and Daniel Blau jointly presented Andy Warhol: Fifteen Abstract Paintings.