1.
GV Tate Gallery
0.05

2.
GV Tate Gallery TILT DOWN Exhibition poster
0.10

3.
CU ZOOM OUT Marilyn Monroe painting.
0.21

4.
SV/CU Brillo Boxes
0.27

5.
SV PAN/CU "Triple Elvis" (2 shots)
0.38

6.
CU ZOOM OUT "Double Elvis" (2 shots)
0.48

7.
GV PAN "Self Portrait"
1.00

8.
SV PAN Sydney Janis paintings
1.10

9.
CU ZOOM OUT Flowers
1.18

10.
SV PAN Flowers to "Death & Destruction" section
1.25

11.
CU ZOOM OUT "Twelve most Wanted Men"
1.33

12.
SV ZOOM IN "Electric Chair"
1.39

13.
SCU PAN Campbell's Soup series.
1.52



Initials BB/2150 BB/2245


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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: An exhibition of the work of American Pop artist Andy Warhol opens in London's famous Tate Gallery on Wednesday (Feb. 17). The exhibition, which has already been seen in Chicago, Eindhoven and Paris, is restricted at the artist's request, to five of his major themes: The Soup Cans, The Brillo Boxes, The Portraits, The Disasters and The Flowers.

This film was shot by Visnews staff cameraman Leo Waller at a special press preview, prior to the public opening.

SYNOPSIS: An exhibition of the American Pop artist Andy Warhol opened at London's famous Tate Gallery on Wednesday. Warhol no longer paints, but makes films, therefore the exhibition is retrospective of his work. Warhol's imagery is usually picked, ready made, from film publicity like this Marilyn Monroe, newspaper photographs, advertisements and packaging.

At the artist's request, only five themes are represented, the Brillo Boxes, Soup Cans, Flowers, Disasters and Portraits.

Warhol's most effective stylistic weapon has been the multiple image, which he achieves by silk-screening methods helped further by the choice of easily recognisable subjects: Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, even household objects such as Soupcans. He wants an art that will appeal to everybody and therefore uses popular objects and people.

With Warhol himself becoming almost as well known as the people on his canvases, it is not out of place to see the multiple self-portraits.

The serialisation in his work suggests mechanisation: the individual pictures being altered only slightly in form or colour. The constant repetition is to prevent emotional involvement.

Moreover, a lot of his work is simply reproductions of reproductions, blown up to huge scale and covered in garish colours. Total detachment is what Warhol has always aimed for, and total detachment is what he has consistently achieved.

The analogy with the world of mass produced violence and death comes through most forcefully in his 'Disaster' paintings: the 'Twelve most wanted men' became a very controversial painting.

The 'Electric Chair' is particularly emphatic because Warhol mechanically executed' the production of his multiples of this mechanical executor.

The world-famous Campbell's Soup Cans. Asked how his work would be seen in fifty years time, Warhol replied that he had used cheap paint so they would peel off long before then.