In Toronto’s prestigious Yorkville, my best friend and I walk down streets peppered with buildings bearing expensive nametags – Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. – musing about the things we long for but cannot afford. Finally, though, we reach our destination – a hole in the wall, pop-up art gallery that honours one of the most iconic American artists, Andy Warhol.
The exhibit, Warhol Revisited, is more like a one-room exhibition of the author’s most famous work, decorated in the art deco style of silver plastic couches and black and white lines that one would often associate with the artist. The room itself is painted mostly white, about the size of a traditional boutique, lined not with clothes but with bright canvases depicting anything from soup cans to cows to faces of Marilyn Monroe. Admittedly, it serves less as an educational tool and more as an homage, reminding the masses why he became so quickly adored, highlighting his most famous pieces that come accompanied by postcard-sized description of the work.
To be honest, the part that captivated me the most was entirely unexpected. I stood for a good five minutes staring at the wall across from the 3 bookshelves that serve as a gift shop, marvelling at my fortuitous discovery. Staring back at me was a man I idolized, and the reason I became a writer. The highly controversial author/socialite Truman Capote was immortalized by Warhol in 1979, in exchange for Capote writing a weekly column for Warhol’s decade-old magazine, Interview. I happened to be carrying one of Capote’s books in my bag, and pulled it out to pose with the man who inspired me and his work. My fascination and excitement drew the attention of the staff, who seemed to be genuinely interested in what they were being paid to work for (a quality increasingly rare in employees of our time).
My best friend and I paid $5 each to view the exhibit (solely because we are students, regular patrons pay $10), and spent about 20 minutes in the room. I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a day-trip, but more as an interesting add-on to a day spent at the Royal Ontario Museum, the modern, 4 storied architectural masterpiece just up the road. The exhibit runs until the last day of 2015, and the exact address is 77 Bloor Street West. In exchange a half hour of time and the price of a lunch meal, your vision, even just for a while, turns technicolour.
Check out some pictures above.
The exhibit, Warhol Revisited, is more like a one-room exhibition of the author’s most famous work, decorated in the art deco style of silver plastic couches and black and white lines that one would often associate with the artist. The room itself is painted mostly white, about the size of a traditional boutique, lined not with clothes but with bright canvases depicting anything from soup cans to cows to faces of Marilyn Monroe. Admittedly, it serves less as an educational tool and more as an homage, reminding the masses why he became so quickly adored, highlighting his most famous pieces that come accompanied by postcard-sized description of the work.
To be honest, the part that captivated me the most was entirely unexpected. I stood for a good five minutes staring at the wall across from the 3 bookshelves that serve as a gift shop, marvelling at my fortuitous discovery. Staring back at me was a man I idolized, and the reason I became a writer. The highly controversial author/socialite Truman Capote was immortalized by Warhol in 1979, in exchange for Capote writing a weekly column for Warhol’s decade-old magazine, Interview. I happened to be carrying one of Capote’s books in my bag, and pulled it out to pose with the man who inspired me and his work. My fascination and excitement drew the attention of the staff, who seemed to be genuinely interested in what they were being paid to work for (a quality increasingly rare in employees of our time).
My best friend and I paid $5 each to view the exhibit (solely because we are students, regular patrons pay $10), and spent about 20 minutes in the room. I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a day-trip, but more as an interesting add-on to a day spent at the Royal Ontario Museum, the modern, 4 storied architectural masterpiece just up the road. The exhibit runs until the last day of 2015, and the exact address is 77 Bloor Street West. In exchange a half hour of time and the price of a lunch meal, your vision, even just for a while, turns technicolour.
Check out some pictures above.