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Andy Warhol Exhibition Comes to Vilnius

March 8, 2000

VILNIUS--  The Lithuanian Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius is to host an Andy Warhol Exhibition from March 10- April 16.  The Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, has organized an exhibition of the artist's works for a tour of 12 countries in Eastern and Southern Europe during 2000 and 2001. This is the first time that artworks by a contemporary U.S. artist will be shown in several of these countries. The exhibition is one of a number of special Millennium programs sponsored by the Department. 

The exhibit, “Andy Warhol: A Retrospective,” opened its tour on January 8 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.  It has received the support of the President's Committee for the Arts and the Humanities and is designated as an official program of the 
White House Millennium Council. The 55 artworks are representative of Warhol's work over a 40-year career and include some of his more memorable images—Marilyn Monroe, Campbell Soup Cans, Mao Tse-Tung--and other artworks that uniquely captured the tenor of his times. 

According to Thomas Sokolowski, director of The Andy Warhol Museum, "The world has always recognized Andy Warhol as the quintessential American artist, bar none. The Andy Warhol Museum is extremely proud to add this Eastern European tour on behalf of the United States Government to its long list of international touring shows.  As Warhol said himself, he was, indeed, the mirror of his time. We are proud to present this great American genius to the people who previously may only have had access to his art through reproduction." 

The exhibition will be presented at museums under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in each country.  The venues include the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia; as well as national museums in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Bratislava, Slovak Republic; and Riga, Latvia. It will also be shown at art museums and contemporary art centers in Vilnius, Lithuania; Kiev, Ukraine; Budapest, Hungary; Thessaloniki, Greece; Tallin, Estonia; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Istanbul, Turkey; and Zagreb, Croatia. 

Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh on August 6, 1928, and died in New York City on February 22, 1987.  Through his paintings, objects, "underground"  films, and personal life, he represents “pop art” in the public imagination.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through international educational and training programs. The bureau does so by 
promoting personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad, as well as by presenting U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences. The ECA Cultural Staff responds to requests from U.S. Embassies overseas for a variety of projects and selects arts professionals to fulfill various arts projects that will benefit the long- term objectives of U.S. foreign policy. 

For further information, please contact Catherine Stearns, Office of 
Regional Media and Press Outreach, phone (202) 647-0874 or e-mail 
stearnsc@panet.us-state.gov <mailto:stearnsc@panet.us-state.gov>. 

“Andy Warhol: A Retrospective,” Traveling Under the Auspices of the U.S. 
Department of State:
 
2000

Jan. 8 - Feb 20 Museum of Arts Almaty, Kazakhstan 

March 10 - April 16 Contemporary Art Centre Vilnius, Lithuania 

April 25 - May 30 Center for Contemporary Arts Kiev, Ukraine 

*June 20 - July 25 Ludwig Museum Budapest - Budapest, Hungary Museum 
of Contemporary Art *Aug. 15 - Sept. 19 Macedonian Museum of Thessaloniki, 
Greece Contemporary Art 

*Oct. 3 - Nov. 12 Pushkin State Museum of Moscow, Russia 

*Dec. 5, 2000 - Rotermanni Centre for Tallinn, Estonia Jan. 9, 2001 

Contemporary Arts 

2001

Jan. 30 - March 5 Slovak National Gallery Bratislava, Slovakia 

*March 26 - April 30 Moderna Galerija Ljubljana, Slovenia 

May 15 - July 11 The State Hermitage Museum St. Petersburg, Russia 

*July 13 - Aug. 19 Sakip Sabanci Museum, Istanbul, Turkey Sabanci 
University 

Sept. 7 - Oct. 14 The Art Museum of Arsenals Riga, Latvia 

Nov. 2 - Dec. 9 Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Croatia 

*Dates are tentative.