Must-See Exhibition: Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei

By Nathalie Owen
Viva
A self-portrait by Ai Weiwei. Picture / Supplied.

Two of the most significant figures in contemporary modern art, Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei are the subject of a new international exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The exhibition, which opens in Melbourne in December, will display over 300 artworks including paintings, sculptures, films, photography and publishing, and will focus on the parallels and points of difference between these two ground-breaking artists.

The gallery will display some of Warhol's most famous works, from Campbell's Soup and the Three Marilyns to his iconic Brillo Boxes, plus his personal collection of more than 500 Polaroids documenting his famous friends and colleagues.

New work from Weiwei's Forever bicycles and chandelier series will also be exhibited, as well as paintings, sculptures and photography from the 1990s and 2000s.

Weiwei, who is one of China's most provocative artists, has been extremely influenced by Warhol throughout his career, which is highlighted in a self-portrait taken in New York posing in front of Warhol’s self-portrait, adopting the same gesture (above).

Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei, National Gallery of Victoria, December 11 to April 24, 2016 and The Warhol, Pittsburgh, June to August 2016

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