Andy Warhol Death and Disaster

A 1962 newspaper photograph of a plane crash inspired Andy Warhol (1928-87) to produce a series dealing with catastrophes and horrific accidents. In his grainy silkscreens--some brightly colored, others in black and silver--both the content and form refer to the reportage aesthetics, general appetite for sensation and the confusion of images that dominate modern society, using this as a background against which to explore transience and mortality. In a 1963 interview about the <i>Death and Disaster</i> series, Warhol mentioned the photograph of the plane crash but also referenced his pictures of Marilyn Monroe: "I realized that everything I was doing must have been Death." This catalogue, published to accompany an exhibition at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, goes beyond the <i>Death and Disaster</i> series, and includes Warhol's pictures of Jacqueline Kennedy, skulls, race riots and electric chairs in a survey of this critical theme in Warhol's oeuvre.