Home / News - National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Features Andy Warhol Works Through March 11

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Features Andy Warhol Works Through March 11

Now through March 11, 2007 the NCSML is exhibiting Works by Warhol from the Cochran Collection featuring two dozen original large prints created by Andy Warhol from 1974 to 1987, including a rare set of his silkscreen series "Cowboys and Indians." Other pieces in the exhibit include iconographic images of Mick Jagger, Mickey Mouse, and the Moon Walk of astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Born in 1928 as Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Andy Warhol was the youngest of three sons of Ondrej and Julia (Zavacky) Warhola. Andy's father left the village of Mikova in the eastern Carpathian Mountains and came to the United States in 1913. His mother was forced to wait until 1921 to join him. In the interim she saw her village ravaged by World War I.

Andy Warhol's art built upon the folk tradition, undoubtedly influenced by his folk artist mother, of exploring the ordinary, of finding and redefining images found around us. In so doing he came to dominate a wild and popular movement known as Pop Art, became a celebrity of the highest order, and created some of the most indelible images of the second half of the 20th century.

Two exhibits are in preparation for 2007. Puppetry! Suspended Imagination opens April 13 through September 29. As a cherished form of artistic expression in the Czech and Slovak lands, puppet theatre was used during the 19th century to make subtle political statements, and it remains popular today to recreate favorite classics and folk tales. Puppetry! will feature a variety of old and new hand puppets, finger puppets, marionettes, puppet theatre advertising, and scenery, plus an interactive theatre.

A landmark exhibition is in development, titled 1968, to open in November 2007. The 40th anniversary of Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact invasion provides a fitting time to examine the tumultuous events of 1968 in Czechoslovakia set in the context of world-wide turmoil. In conjunction with the exhibit, a major History and Culture Conference is planned for March 7 – 8, 2008. The conference will re-visit the period of 1967 – 1980, taking a close look at Prague Spring, Warsaw Pact invasion, Charter 77, and the events that ultimately led to the Velvet Revolution and Velvet Divorce. Check the NCSML web site at www.NCSML.org or call (319) 362-8500 for more information.