Grand Rapids, MI - Andy Warhol (1928–1987) is recognized as one of the great American artists of the twentieth century. As a painter, printmaker, and filmmaker, his work and his public persona are forever linked to Pop art, which dominated American culture in the 1960s. Rapid Exposure: Warhol in Series presents a chronological overview of the artist’s celebrated silkscreen prints, focusing on the classic and monumental portfolios that include Marilyn Monroe (1967), Campbell’s Soup II (1969), Flash—November 22, 1963 (1968), Flowers (1970), Electric Chair (1971), Mao (1972), and Endangered Species (1983). In the realm of the modern print, Warhol’s innovative use of screenprinting established him as one of the most important printmakers of his time.

Rapid Exposure investigates in depth the repeated image that is central to Warhol’s aesthetic. Warhol took his photographic subjects from the mass media, combining them with the technical processes of the commercial world. In prints and paintings, he established his photographic subject with silkscreen inks on paper or canvas. He completed the prints with additional color inks, the paintings with acrylic media. In the series, the same photographic image is repeated in variations of brilliant color that alter and comment on the subject.

For Warhol, the reproduced image reflected and shaped contemporary American life. In his explorations of celebrity, politics, and the transience of life, Warhol’s art can be read from both social and philosophical perspectives. In all cases, Warhol is deeply American. His art powerfully captured the increasing velocity of American life in the last half of the twentieth century.  On exhibition through 15 June, 2008.

Organized by Grand Rapids Art Museum in cooperation with The Andy Warhol Museum. Made possible by lead donors : Wege Foundation, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, James and Mary Nelson, and Miner S. and Mary Ann Keeler - The Keeler Foundation.

Today the Grand Rapids Art Museum collection includes over 5,000 works of art: approximately 3,500 works on paper (prints, drawings, photographs), 1,000 works of design and modern craft (furniture, ceramics, glass, metal and textiles), and 700 paintings and sculptures. The collection consists primarily of European Art 1500 to the present, American Art and American Regional Art from 1840 to the present, and works of International Modernism. Leading works in the collection include: Richard Diebenkorn, Ingleside, 1963, one of the artist's definitive early figurative paintings, Pablo Picasso's 1962 Still Life with Cherries and Watermelon, the only existing complete set in eight states, and American paintings of the late 19th and early 20th century.