Home > About the Museum > News Room > American Pop

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Andy Warhol's Athlete Portraits Star in the Crocker's American Pop Exhibition

American Pop: Featuring Andy Warhol's Athletes from the Richard Weisman Collection on view August 16 - November 2, 2008

June 6, 2008 – Sacramento, CA – From Lichtenstein to Warhol, the art of the controversial Pop Art movement will be on exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum August 16 - November 2, 2008. American Pop: Featuring Andy Warhol's Athletes from the Richard Weisman Collection highlights 36 works drawn from major private collections as well as the Crocker's own and probes how artistic introspection of the 1960s developed into the ultimate endorsement of 1970s celebrity.

The show includes two Sacramento artists' unique stamp on the Pop Art movement: Wayne Thiebaud, whose painterly layering of pigment defined his vision of lunch counter confections and Barbara Spring, who turned found drift wood into cunning depictions of roast beef, sliced ham, coconut cake and petit fours.

Highlighting Pop's ultimate expression is the exhibit's special display of Andy Warhol's Athletes Series. Begun in 1977 and completed in 1979, these 10 portraits capture the decade's athletic superstars with the late 20th-century's stamp of fame-a Warhol silk-screen. How Warhol came to photograph and "paint" Dorothy Hamill, Muhammad Ali, Pelé and Jack Nicklaus reveals the ongoing importance of friendships between patrons and artists in contemporary art. In September, Athletes owner Richard Weisman will speak with college students about the inspiration behind the series and his career as a collector.

The exhibition demonstrates that while Warhol, James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos created signature Pop works, a wide variety of often surprising artists were also drawn to explore the new subject matter. This broad adoption shows how Pop Art represented both a prevailing mood and an important influence. Critics decried the celebration of Pop, but the fast acceptance of the movement by artists and collectors alike signaled a seismic shift in American life.

American Pop is supported in part by the Kathryn Uhl Ball and Fred Uhl Ball Endowment Fund and by Mr. and Mrs. Les Lederer.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in Downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday; Thursday until 9 p.m. Admission is free on Sundays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

# # #

Media Contact: Kathleen Conaty
Media: (916) 808-5157
Public: (916) 808-7000
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org

Join the Crocker’s email press list. To subscribe, contact Kathleen Conaty at (916) 808-5157.

 

2008 Press Releases

09.10.08
Take an Exotic Journey to a Winter Oasis for the 48th Annual Crocker Ball on December 6

09.10.08
Crocker Promotes Three Employees Within Curatorial

09.02.08
37th Annual Art & Antiques Show & Sale October 24-26

08.28.08
Get Your Warhol Fix at the Crocker's Warhol-a-thon

08.28.08
Sacramento Native and American Pop Artist Mel Ramos Lectures on the emergence of Pop Art in the 1960s

08.28.08
The Crocker Celebrates New Exhibition with Warner Brothers Film Festival

08.13.08
Crocker Art Museum Association Appoints New Member to Board of Directors

08.07.08
The Crocker Gets Animated with Warner Bros. Exhibition

07.30.08
3rd Annual Art Book Fair at the Crocker

07.10.08
New Hours & Phone Numbers for the Crocker

07.09.08
Crocker Appoints Two New Staff Members

06.26.08
Bank of America Supports Free Admission to the Crocker, Sundays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

06.05.08
Andy Warhol's Athlete Portraits Star in the Crocker's American Pop Exhibition

05.27.08
Show Your Pride at the Crocker

05.19.08
Call for Artists

04.23.08
Crocker Receives Donation of Important Contemporary Artwork from AT&T

04.03.08
200 Regional Artists Featured in Crocker's 30th Art Auction

04.03.08
Crocker's Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series Moves to Crocker Park MaySeptember

03.05.08
Crocker's Summer Art Class Registration Begins May 19

02.15.08
Renowned Yet Rarely Seen Master Drawings Highlight the Nude in New Crocker Exhibition

01.25.08
Crocker Classical Concerts Feature World-Class Musicians Every Month

Press Release Archive
2007
2006

2005
2004
2003

 

Home | Directions | Join | eNews | Terms of Use | Site Map | Webmaster

© 2005 Crocker Art Museum. All Rights Reserved. No images or information on this site may be reproduced, transmitted or copied without permission.
This website is partially underwritten by the Art Service Group of the Crocker Art Museum and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.

Crocker Art Museum   |   216 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814   |   916.808.7000