The Last Supper (Warhol)

The Last Supper is a series of paintings created by the American artist Andy Warhol (1929–1987) between 1984 and 1986. The series is based on the famed Last Supper (c. 1495–1498) by Leonardo da Vinci.[1]

History

Art dealer Alexander Iolas commissioned the series in 1984 for an exhibition at the old refectory of the Palazzo delle Stelline in Milan, opposite from the Santa Maria delle Grazie where Leonardo da Vinci's mural can be seen.[2]

Warhol exceeded the demands of the commission and produced nearly 100 variations on the theme, mostly silkscreens and paintings, and among them a collaborative sculpture with Basquiat, the Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper).[3] The Milan exhibition that opened in January 1987 with a set of 22 silk-screens, was the last exhibition for both the artist and the gallerist.[4] Warhol died shortly after the opening in February 1987, soon followed by the death of Iolas in June 1987.

The Last Supper series was seen by some as "arguably his greatest",[5] but by others as "wishy-washy, religiose" and "spiritless".[6]

The Museo del Novecento held a 2017 exhibition of the works in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of their Milanese debut.[7]

Some art scholars including Jessica Beck a curator at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh have posited that they are an artistic response by Warhol to the AIDS crisis.[8][9][10]

The paintings are discussed in depth in "Loving the Alien", the sixth and final episode of the 2022 Netflix docuseries The Andy Warhol Diaries.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Andy Warhol: The Last Supper". Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  2. ^ Claudia Schmuckli, "Andy Warhol: The Last Supper" (June 1999 – December 2001) Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Guggenheim Museum SoHo. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  3. ^ Collaboration with Andy Warhol: Jean Michel Basquiat Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Andy Warhol Museum. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Court dispute over Alexander Iolas' estate: "Anagnostou vs. Stifel Case – Supreme Court of the State of New York" Archived October 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Leagle, Inc., December 6, 1990. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  5. ^ Dillenberger, Jane (2001). The Religious Art of Andy Warhol. London: Continuum. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-0-8264-1334-5. OCLC 59540326.
  6. ^ Anthony Haden-Guest, "Warhol's Last Supper" Archived October 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, ArtNet, 1999.
  7. ^ "Andy Warhol's Sixty Last Suppers | Christie's". Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  8. ^ "Idol Worship: The Brooklyn Museum's Important New Warhol Show Casts the Pop Artist in a Spiritual Light". 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Andy Warhol: Sixty Last Suppers". May 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  10. ^ "The Man Who Discovered Warhol". 9 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  11. ^ "'The Andy Warhol Diaries' explores how the iconic artist was shaped by his great loves". NBC News. 10 March 2022.
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