: On January 19, the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature,
University of Richmond Museums, will present the exhibition
"Silent Spring: Andy Warhol's Endangered Species and Vanishing
Animals." Featured will be Warhol's 1983 portfolio of ten screen
prints titled "Endangered Species," and illustrations for
Vanishing Animals, a 1986 book produced with Kurt
Benirschke of the San Diego Zoo.
Warhol (American, 1928-1987) was a multimedia artist, best known
for his contribution to the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. His
images had the subjects and style of advertisements, showing
pro-ducts of consumer culture, such as Coca-Cola bottles or
Campbell's soup cans depicted with the silkscreen technique. But
Warhol also tackled more serious topics, such as the
assassination of US President John F. Kennedy and
state-sanctioned executions, as well as endangered species, such
as the work featured in this exhibition's prints and book.
Art dealers Ronald and Frayda Feldman commissioned the
"Endangered Species" portfolio after conversations they had with
Warhol about ecological issues, including beach erosion. Warhol
owned beachfront property on Long Island, which is now The Andy
Warhol Preserve, a gift to The Nature Conservancy from The Andy
Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The portfolio includes
images of the African elephant, the giant panda, and a San
Francisco Silverspot butterfly, among others.
For the book Vanishing Animals (1986), Warhol created 16
prints (silkscreen with collage) of animals facing extinction.
Each print is reproduced and placed next to chapters by Kurt
Benirschke of the San Diego Zoo, who described each animal and
possible reasons for their population declines. Included are
chapters on the California Condor, the Galapagos Tortoise, the
Komodo Monitor and the La Plata River Dolphin. This exhibition
presents copies of the book as well as source material, including
correspondence between Warhol and Benirschke.
The exhibition was organized and circulated by The Andy Warhol
Museum, Pittsburgh, one of the four Carnegie Museums of
Pittsburgh. The exhibition debuted in 2002 at the Warhol Museum
as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Rachel Carson's
extremely influential book, Silent Spring, which was the
first public call to arms concerning the dangers of pesticides.
Published in 1962, this book is often credited as an inspiration
for the global environmental movement, the founding of the
Federal Environmental Protection Agency and similar state
agencies, and the annual Earth Day celebrations, and is largely
responsible for the banning of extremely dangerous pesticides,
such as DDT. Carson (American, 1907-1964) was a writer and
scientist, born near Pittsburgh, which was also Warhol's
hometown. Her family home northeast of Pittsburgh is now the
Rachel Carson Homestead, an educational facility open to the
public.
Related programs include a lecture on Tuesday, January 18, 7 pm,
titled "Interconnected Artistry: Comparisons of the Lives and
Works of Rachel Carson and Andy Warhol," and presented by
Vivienne Shaffer, executive director, Rachel Carson Homestead
Association, Springdale, Penn. From 8-9 pm, there will be an
opening reception and preview of the exhibition.
A brown bag lunch series on Thursday, February 24, from noon to 1
pm will be presented by Maren Reiner, director of biological
laboratories, University of Richmond. Drinks and cookies will be
provided; participants should bring their own lunches.
Admission to the University of Richmond Museums and to the events
mentioned above is free and open to the public.
The Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature is located in a
separate wing of the Boatwright Memorial Library with its
entrance on Richmond Way. For information,
www.oncampus.richmond.edu or 804-287-6423.
