Warhol Unmasked: Sex, Drugs And Catholicism
Visitor snaps a photo of Warhol’s punching bags at the Brooklyn Museum, Dec. 4, 2021. Photo by Bethany Johnson.
(REVIEW) The Brooklyn Museum takes the road less traveled in its exhibit “Andy Warhol: Revelation” by spotlighting beyond Warhol’s commonly known artistic themes of sex, drugs and modern American life to uniquely unmask the artist’s Roman Catholicism.
“I had no idea that he was as religious as he was,” said Lianne Torres, a graphic design student, after visiting the exhibit. “I really didn’t know that some of his artwork featured so much of the Catholic culture, which I found so fascinating. … There were so many artworks I had no idea about.”
Curated by José Carlos Diaz, the exhibition strays away from the common images associated with Warhol — his Campbell soup cans and celebrity pop art. Instead, the walls showcase the artist’s depictions of Mary the mother of Jesus painted on shoes, punching bags and canvas.
Visitors examine Warhol’s prints at the Brooklyn Museum, Dec. 4, 2021. Photo by Bethany Johnson.
Warhol grew up a Byzantine Catholic and continued to attend Mass throughout his career. The Roman Catholic Church even financially supported one of his films. His art often focused on death, hell and judgment while simultaneously exploring his identity as a gay artist in 20th century America. The exhibit features Warhol’s images of skulls, knives and posters that he depicted like advertisements for hell, as well as his method of portraying celebrities, similar to Mary.
The pinnacle of the exhibit is Warhol’s final project, his expansive paintings of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” which he rebirthed into a modern context by printing da Vinci’s masterpiece in his iconic pop art style.
A man reads the image description at Brooklyn Museum, Dec. 4, 2021. Photo by Bethany Johnson.
William Skillman — an artist, collector and lifelong New Yorker — has observed many Warhol art shows and even visited the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Yet, he had never seen Warhol’s “The Last Supper” before this exhibit.
“The religion he follows doesn’t accept him for who he is, but yet, he continues to support them and to go to church, a very conservative church also,” Skillman said. “So I find that duality interesting. And this really showed it more than I've ever seen in any other shows.”
The exhibit manifests to the public how Warhol — through his art — reimagined Catholicism with a progressive modern lifestyle. For Warhol, the two did not necessarily eradicate each other.
Warhol’s painted sneakers at Brooklyn Museum, Dec. 4, 2021. Photo by Bethany Johnson.
A quote by Warhol, plastered on the last wall of the museum’s gallery, explains his outlook:
“I want to be true to my flock. My flock consists of homosexuals, perverts of any kind, thieves … criminals of any sort … the rejected by society. Okay? That’s who I’m pope for. I’m pope for the few who really care.”
Bethany Johnson lives in Brooklyn, NY as a journalism student at The King’s College. She currently works as a photographer for The King's College and has spent the past summer traveling internationally to film the stories, circumstances, and experiences of individuals for the nonprofit Extreme Response. She received SPJ honorable mention for her photo gallery “On the Streets of New York.“