Until the 3rd May, La Maison Rouge in Paris presents an exhibition about Andy Warhol’s ventures in the world of television: Warhol TV. Curated by Judith Benhamou-Huet, the show zaps through Andy Warhol’s TV universe. For Andy Warhol, television was an ideal tool for artistic, social, and self-promotion.
As early as 1964 Andy Warhol made an imitation soap opera. At the beginning of the 70s, Warhol played around at producing telenovelas that were the reflection of his aesthetic and fantastical universe. In 1979 Andy Warhol put together a small team who were in charge of creating TV programs to be aired on the brand-new New York Cable. They created Andy Warhol’s Fashion, a talk show devoted to the world of fashion, followed by Andy Warhol’s TV, a Factory style reality-TV show, before producing the famous Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes for MTV, inspired by his renowned quote on the subject of fame. In 1987, the TV broadcast of Andy Warhol’s funeral service became the tragic final chapter in the life of Andy Warhol.
Besides his own shows he regularly made guest appearances on other programs, including The Love Boat. Warhol also produced a TV commercial for Schrafft’s Restaurants in New York City, for an ice cream dessert titled the Underground Sundae.
In this video by Christophe Ecoffet, curator Judith Benhamou-Huet talks about the concept of the exhibition and Andy Warhol’s television projects.
La Maison Rouge was created on the initiative of French art collector Antoine de Galbert. La Maison Rouge is a registered foundation that shows three to six exhibitions a year. Solo shows alternate with thematic shows alongside regular exhibitions of major international collections.
Warhol TV. La Maison Rouge, Paris / France. February 17, 2009.
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