University students now have the opportunity to see the works of artists Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and others, up close and personal at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum's semester long exhibit, "Pop Art and After: Prints and Popular Culture."
The collection, which is privately owned by the Zimmerli, located on the College Avenue campus, has been on exhibit since the beginning of the month and officially opened Thursday evening.
"[This is a] really great exhibition [and a] really great combination of artists," said Arete Bouhlas, 29, who visited the University for the exhibit. "I'm really happy to see the Andy Warhol pieces."
Warhol's work in the collection was represented by pieces including one of his iconic Campbell's Soup can prints and "Electric Chair," six prints of the same image recycled from a newspaper photograph of an electric chair printed in different neon colors.
Exhibit curator Marilyn Symmes said the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts presented a gift of many black and white Polaroid photographs taken by Warhol, including some images of famous actors like Sylvester Stallone.
Although the collection's pop art was primarily a phenomenon of the 1960s era, many of the prints were from the 1980s and later, said Art History professor Joan Marter,
"The sixties were a really volatile era where a lot of today's jaded consumer attitude toward commercialism really started," said Alexander Ragucci, a University College junior. "This exhibit shows those attitudes are just as relevant today as they were then."
Eight graduate students from the University's Certificate Program in Curatorial Studies helping form the pop art collection.
Though the students' backgrounds are mostly in contemporary and modern art, Art History graduate student Jennifer Simonelli said the expertise of the Ancient and Renaissance students helped her and the other students examine the pieces with more awareness of intended meaning.
"It was a pretty unique opportunity for graduate students to work hands on seeing an exhibition from start to finish," said Andrew Scruggs, Art History graduate student.
Symmes said part of the success of pop art is its ability to commercialize itself. Many of the pieces are print, and easily portable and replicated, as opposed to often heavy or very fragile paintings, she said.
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