Andy Warhol: Works from the Hall Collection

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Andy Warhol: Works from the Hall Collection is the latest exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum and is a complete gem.

The exhibition presents a special opportunity to see over 100 works by Warhol. These are generously on loan from the private collection of Andrew and Christine Hall, and on public display for the first time.

What’s it all about?

Brilliantly curated by Sir Norman Rosenthal, the exhibition spans the breadth of Warhol’s career; capturing the electrifying energy of his iconic pop art work of the 1960s, to his famous portraits and the more experimental works of his final decade.

You won’t find the classic Marilyn Monroe here, and only a black and white smudge of a Campbell’s Soup Can (1985). Instead, you have a glimmering opportunity to rediscover Warhol and engage with his output afresh.

Is it worth the ticket price?

This is an informative, enlightening, exciting and, at times, poignant exhibition that works effectively on a number of levels.

It provides the opportunity to experience Warhol through the prism of the private collector, as Andrew Hall acknowledges of his Warhol collection: ‘Owning more works expands the curatorial possibilities and allows you to tell a story.’

This is something the exhibition achieves very effectively; with lesser-known works on display, there is the real potential for a more rounded understanding of the artist and his output.

The collection traces the progression of Warhol, as he experiments with various materials and mediums; from his silkscreen prints, to mixed media, to line drawings, to his untitled oxidation paintings, to film. The latter was a particular treat; on loan from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the films played on a loop in an anteroom, in which I could have happily lost myself for hours.

Then there are Warhol’s evolving methods of response to an ever-growing culture of fame and consumerism; from his Double One Dollar Bills (1962), to the Brillo Soap Pads Box (1964), to his famous portraits, to his Detail of the Last Supper (1986) which is taken from a kitsch reproduction rather than the original.

The exhibition ends with Warhol exploring his own near death experience through paintings such as Physiological Diagram (1985-86) and his Self-Portrait in Fright Wig (1986) where he peers out at us alone in the gloom, as though from the other side.

This is a thought-provoking and enlightening exhibition.

Are you a fan of Andy Warhol’s work? Tell us about your favourite piece in the comments below.

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Andy Warhol: Works from the Hall Collection run from 4 February to 15 May 2016

It’s advised to purchase tickets in advance.