A New Warhol Exhibition Is Coming To Scotland In 2024

4 months ago

Featuring rarely seen textiles

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New year, new exhibitions – and this one’s a goodie. Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios is preparing to unveil Scotland’s first ever dedicated exhibition of Warhol’s textiles. Here’s everything to know before you go.

Andy Warhol: The Textiles At Dovecot Studios

Andy Warhol is one of the world’s most famous artists, both prolific and popular, and best known for his vibrant pop art and print work. But in the 1950s and 60s, he created a series of textile works and sold them anonymously through agents in New York’s garment district. Dovecot Studios’ upcoming exhibition explores these recently discovered and rarely seen pieces – which could be considered Warhol’s purest artistic expressions; art made for art’s sake – creating a joyful and fascinating exhibition and exploring the iconic artist in a new light.

More than 60 pieces will go on display, including Warhol’s playful designs inspired by the Serendipity3 Café in New York, alongside fabric lengths, garments, prints, film and photography. Though textiles and fashion were crucial to Warhol’s development and success as an artist, these pieces fell into obscurity after his death. They were recently unearthed by curators Richard Chamberlain and Geoff Rayner, and gathered up to form Dovecot’s illuminating exhibition, which follows The Fashion and Textile Museum in London’s 2024 exhibition and reveals the connection between 20th century fashion and textiles and Warhol’s integral style.

‘This exhibition builds on over a decade of research, several chance encounters and strokes of luck to bring together this previously unknown but important aspect of Warhol’s oeuvre,’ say Chamberlain and Rayner.

‘Dovecot is thrilled to be collaborating with the Fashion and Textile Museum to bring the first exhibition about Andy Warhol’s textile designs to Scotland,’ adds Dovecot Director Celia Joicey. ‘Warhol recognised textile as an artistic medium and, as a globally recognised name, offers Dovecot the opportunity to promote tapestry in the context of this joyful and vivacious work.’

Famed for his repeating colours, patterns and images in his artwork, Warhol’s textiles are similarly playful and vibrant, showcasing food designs from lemons to candy apples to pretzels. One particular haunt Warhol was repeatedly inspired by is the Serendipity3 Café in New York, as we can see in his textiles; the Dovecot cafe will be redesigned in honour of these works, emulating the famous eatery. Meanwhile, a range of events inspired by Warhol will take place at Dovecot, from science food events to fashion shows to textile printing workshops.