HE WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED, SAID OBAMA IS GOOD LOOKING AND PAINTED HIM AND LOVED HANGING OUT WITH CINDY McCAIN IN HER PRIVATE JET

It is difficult to say whether Warhol was the cajoler or the cajolee in his dealings with a continuum of queens, from the unofficial Queen of Camelot, Jackie Kennedy, to the official Queen of England, Elizabeth the Second, and on to the “Just Say No” queen, Nancy Reagan (all featured in this exhibition). Nonetheless, Warhol’s power and cultural clout as an image maker grew throughout his life. Tongue in cheek, his famous quip about everyone being famous for 15 minutes may have caused politicos and celebrities alike to aspire to enduring legacies of grandeur, just to spite his prognostication.

In “Pop Politics,” we see a continuum of powerful cultural and political players during a slice of late 20th century American history. In his book “America,” Warhol remarked, “I’ve always thought politicians and actors really summed up the American way. They can look at various pieces of themselves, and they can pick out one piece and say, ‘Now I’m only going to be this one thing.’ And the piece may be smaller and less interesting than the whole personality, but it’s the piece everyone wants to see.” It’s a fascinating projection, because since his death in 1987, Warhol has emerged as just such an enigma, a cipher still in the midst of being deciphered.

The Wire
Oct 16 2008