Contact: Mike Horyczun Director of Public Relations (203) 413-6735 For Immediate Release May 13, 2010 New Exhibition! Andy Warhol: Flowers, 1974 May 29, 2010 – August 22, 2010 Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830 Andy Warhol (1928–1987) Flowers (Hand-Colored), 1974 Silkscreen, watercolor from portfolio of ten, 199/250. Collection of the Bruce Museum, Gift of Peter M. Brant © 2010 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York The new exhibition Andy Warhol: Flowers, 1974 is blossoming at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, from Saturday, May 29 through Sunday, August 22, 2010. The Museum presents two portfolios of silk-screen prints from the Bruce Museum collection featuring floral arrangements produced by Warhol and his studio. Each portfolio contains ten different silk-screen prints; both sets are printed with black ink on paper, but one set also features the addition of watercolor dyes applied by hand. - more - - 2Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is recognized as one of America’s firmly established 20th-century artists and an international celebrity whose work has been extensively exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. His Flowers (Black and White) portfolio was published by Castelli Graphics and Multiples Inc. in association with Warhol’s gallery dealer Leo Castelli. The works were given recently to the Bruce Museum by print collectors Dave and Reba Williams. In this set, the images are left in pure print form of black ink screened on the base paper. The Flowers (Hand-Colored) portfolio was originally commissioned by publisher Peter M. Brant, Castelli Graphics, and Multiples Inc. and was a gift of Peter M. Brant to the Bruce Museum in 1986. In the color version, each print is unique in the hand-application of Dr. Martin’s aniline watercolor dyes by a studio assistant. The only other time Warhol used a similar technique was in the 1950s to customize offset prints. Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonne categorizes these works as unique edition prints since they are signed, numbered and released as regular editions even though each print is one of a kind. Early in his artistic career, Warhol developed an appreciation of the printmaking process and also saw lucrative opportunities to create and publish edition prints. He began publishing edition prints in the early 1960s as part of artist-group portfolios or in conjunction with exhibitions. In 1971, he received his first commission from an outside publisher for a major portfolio of prints. He continued to issue edition portfolios through the end of his life. Warhol was always interested in still life but seldom used it in the 1960s. Flowers, 1974, abandoned the photograph-based prints of the 1960s and focused on line for composition. His inspiration for these works came from wallpaper samples and the book Interpretive Floral Designs by Mrs. Raymond Russ Stoltz (South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes, 1972), which he interpreted using an opaque projector. Two additional images were considered for the portfolio but ultimately not included. The new exhibition Andy Warhol: Flowers, 1974 is supported by the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund. Please note that this exhibition is held in the Museum’s Bantle Lecture Gallery, which may be closed for viewing due to programs taking place. Please call ahead or check the website for non-viewing times. ___________________________________________________________________________________ The Bruce Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. General admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and free for children under five and Bruce Museum members. Free admission to all on Tuesdays. The Museum is located near Interstate-95, Exit 3, and a short walk from the Greenwich, CT, train station. Museum hours are: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Mondays and major holidays. Groups of eight or more require advance reservations. Museum exhibition tours are held Fridays at 12:30 p.m. Free, on-site parking is available. The Bruce Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376, or visit the Bruce Museum website at www.brucemuseum.org. *****