sundance

Art Buzz: Warhol gets his own app and Tom Sachs goes to Mars

No time to scan all the blogs in your Google Reader? Never fear! We’ve rounded up the five art world happenings that have bloggers and gallery-goers buzzing this week.

Tintype Photography: San Francisco photographer Michael Shindler is reviving the lost art of tin-type photography with his new portrait studio, Photobooth. Charging just $50-$80 a pop, subjects have to sit perfectly still while…

Why did Warhol paint Campbell soup cans?

Christopher Knight of The Los Angeles Times wrote this interesting exploration into what compelled Andy Warhol to paint Campbell soup cans, which “was first displayed publicly at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in July 1962,” as opposed to painting countless other canned goods that reflected the mass consumer US culture. When asked Warhol’s “canned” [...]

Andy Warhol’s motion pictures

With so many soup cans and Monroe images out there its easy to forget that Andy Warhol was not a one trick pony. The artist was also a prolific filmmaker and a new exhibit at NYC’s MoMA spotlights those films. From MoMA: Among Warhol’s cinematic oeuvre, the black-and-white silent films are the most daring and [...]

Framing of frames

These most excellent posters created by Moxy Creative House depict iconic glasses of famous names, five of which also get their own posters: Kanye West (The Ye’s), Yves Saint Laurent (The YSL’s), Andy Warhol (The Warhol’s), Ghandi (The Ghandi’s), and Johnny Depp (The Depp’s).

Campbell Soup’s fan letter to Andy Warhol

Letters of Note unearthed this gem from the time capsule: An earnest and sincere fan letter written by William MacFarland, a product marketing manager at Campbell’s Soup Company, to Andy Warhol following the success of this pop artist’s iconic “32 Campbell’s Soup Cans.”

Just Kids

I have a few new obsessions and they’re not your typical gay ones either. I have a new diva I am worshipping these days and she shies away from false lashes and sequined gowns. In fact she’s the anti-diva: grit replacing glimmer, harsh where others are soft. I bought Patti Smith‘s Just Kids on a [...]

Polaroid: Instant Joy

With the convenience of digital media it’s only the rare purist or enthusiast who would bother with something as archaic as actual film or the time-consuming process of developing it, but there is one relic that has maintained its popularity since its commercial boom in the 60s: the Polaroid. This has everything to do with the fact that a Polaroid fulfills our need for both nostalgia and instant gratification in an experience that engages the consumer with the product in a way that a regular 35mm camera just doesn’t. From pulling the print from the negative sheet, shaking it and eagerly awaiting the results, the Polaroid became an interactive user experience.

Brooklyn Museum’s giant Andy Warhol piñata

The centerpiece for the Brooklyn Museum’s annual ball on April 22 is a ginormous 20-foot tall piñata of pop art pioneer Andy Warhol’s face, which is currently on display in the museum’s Rubin Pavilion. This fantastic concept was created by Jennifer Rubell whose “interactive food journey” installation will be featured during the event. Guests will [...]

Awesome letter from Mick (Jagger) to Andy (Warhol)

Pulled this one from the time capsule: an informal business letter dated appropriately in 1969 from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol thanking Andy for agreeing to do the “art-work” for their new album. Mick, signing off with love, gives Andy pretty much carte-blanche do whatever he wants as well as naming his price.

MoMA’s rejection letter to Warhol

From the archives, check out this letter dated October 19, 1956 by the first director of New York’s Museum of Modern Art to Andy Warhol informing the pop artist that the museum was regretfully rejecting his generously free gift of his drawing entitled “Shoe.” The letter is currently part of the Andy Warhol Museum’s archives [...]

The King of Pop painted by the King of Pop!

I posted earlier about Andy Warhol’s junk being combed through, including that naked poster of Jackie O. Those catalogers will spend six year going through everything the artist meticulously collected during his life, ranging from fan mail to taxi receipts. I am excited to see what other oddities they find. And speaking about oddities, a [...]

First Ladies showing some skin

This morning’s Today Show had Matt Lauer discussing Michelle Obama’s legs and the appropriateness of the First Lady wearing shorts. Yes, sadly, this is news. But wait a minute Mr. Newscaster. Mrs. Obama is not the first First Lady to show some skin. Some have shown even more.

Artists homage to Michael Jackson

Web Designer Depot is compiling a collection of Michael Jackson tributes created by various artists and designers from around the Web. Your mileage may vary with some of the results, but what is clear is that the King of Pop’s impact reverberated far beyond simply the world of music.

Larger than life: Hockney and 100 Homos

If you’re lucky enough to summer on Long Island this year be sure to visit boltax.gallery on Shelter Island. From June 20 to July 6 the gallery is home to a 3rd solo show by the artist Don Florence titled “Them,” a group of paintings dealing with themes of celebrity and worship.

The Vader Project: Pop art meets evil dad

photo by Bonnie Burton Currently showing through May 3rd at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Vader Project is a collection of replica Darth Vader helmets that were given to 100 of “today’s hottest underground and pop surrealist painters, artists and designers” as a blank slate for them to “paint, design, mash up and [...]

Real Madmen Make Even Reagan Look Good

ART & COPY is a slick documentary about the genuis ad men and women who created such iconic campaigns as “Got Milk?”, “Think Different” (Apple), and Nike’s “Just Do It.” “Sundance gets a lot of grief about getting too commercial and selling out,” director Doug Pray said in introducing the film. “I just want to warn you guys–there’s ads in my movie.”

Final Debate Gives “Joe the Plumber” 15 Minutes of Fame

After watching last night’s debate, I was reminded of the prophetic words of Andy Warhol. “In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” Well, congratulations Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, you’re famous, whether you should be or not. Joe is also, apparently, the most important man in America, judging from the attention paid to [...]