Spread from Andy Warhol’s A Gold Book, 1957, offset lithographic prints and hand coloring on paper, 14 1/2 × 23". © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
“Warhol by the Book”
Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA)
76 Spring St
March 7–August 16, 2015
Curated by Matt Wrbican
Given the attention afforded every aspect of Andy Warhol’s diverse production and legacy, it is surprising that his engagement with books has taken so long to come to the fore. Like last year’s anthology Reading Andy Warhol: Author Illustrator Publisher, “Warhol by the Book” seeks to rectify this situation, bringing together some four hundred objects associated with more than eighty different books, from faux-naive self-published pre-Pop titles to the fascinatingly dark Andy Warhol’s Index (Book) of 1967, which encapsulates the look and ethos of the Silver Factory at its height. Highlights include the lesser-known 1968 print portfolio Flash—November 22, 1963, the prepublication designer’s dummy and mock-up for the Index (Book), and a diminutive but intriguing Marilyn Monroe Book Maquette, ca. 1968. With no planned catalogue, you will have to get yourself to Williamstown to see these books in person. Travels to the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Oct. 9, 2015– Jan. 10, 2016.
