Early Andy Warhol exhibition brings rare drawings and record covers to Hasselt
A rare collection of early works by American Pop Art icon Andy Warhol will be on display at PXL University College in Hasselt starting Thursday. Among the highlights are several homoerotic drawings, exhibited in Europe for the first time, from a private Antwerp collection.
The exhibition, Early Andy Warhol, features 30 unique drawings, 25 original record covers, vintage magazines and a film. These works date back to the 1950s, before Warhol’s rise to fame with his iconic silkscreen prints of Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe.
Warhol is widely recognised as one of the most influential artists of the Pop Art movement, transforming everyday objects and celebrities into bold, colourful silkscreen prints. However, Early Andy Warhol showcases a different side of the artist, revealing how his unique visual style developed long before his commercial success.
“Using 30 exceptional drawings from a Belgian private collection, the 'firm' and inventive-experimental way in which Andy Warhol prepared the visible evolution towards Pop Art in the 1950s becomes clear,” the exhibition description explains.
"In the 1950s of puritanical America, it was not easy to be 'different'"
The exhibition features drawings of men wearing earrings and necklaces, opposite homoerotic drawings of naked men.
"Nobody takes offence to that now," curator Luk Lambrecht told VRT NWS. "But in the 1950s of puritanical America, it was not easy to be 'different'. Warhol had a great fascination for the human body. Did you know that he also depicted a lot of feet? Because he had a fascination for shoes, for which he made a lot of advertisements."
Innovative image reproduction
One of the techniques showcased in the exhibition is Warhol’s blotted line method, where he transferred wet ink drawings onto another sheet of paper, creating a mirrored image. This technique, used in several works on display, was an early experiment in mechanical reproduction, something Warhol would later perfect with his silkscreen prints.
“The hats of the women are coloured with watercolour paint,” the exhibition notes explain. “This technique is Warhol’s first attempt to easily reproduce his works. In these drawings, this is still done by hand, but from 1962 onwards it will be done by machine.”
In addition to the drawings, the exhibition includes 25 record covers, book illustrations, and magazine inserts from the 1950s, many of which Warhol co-designed before becoming an icon of Pop Art.
Early Andy Warhol runs from 15 February to 15 March at PXL-MAD School of Arts in Hasselt. It is open daily except Sundays from 13.00-17.00 with free admission.
#FlandersNewsService | A woman walks past Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup Cans at the opening of the Museum of Modern Art Queens in 2002 © PHOTO MATT CAMPBELL / AFP
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