PHILADELPHIA, PA.- La Salle University Art Museum presents an exhibition of photographs by the late Pop artist, Andy Warhol (1928-1987). Entitled Andy Warhol: Portraiture and the Business of Art, the exhibition features a selection of Polaroids and black and white 8-by-10-inch silver gelatin prints created by Andy Warhol during the 1970s and 1980s.

Warhol was a prolific portrait artist and produced thousands of silkscreen paintings of movies stars, artists, wealthy collectors, art dealers, etc. His lucrative portraiture business generated steady revenue to support his other ventures, such as Interview magazine (founded 1969), along with film and televisions productions. In his writings and interviews, Warhol often referred to art as a business, and business as an art, stating that “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” (Warhol, 1975: 92). The exhibition opens a window into Warhol’s portraiture business, highlighting his working methods, and offering insights on important personalities and interests of his times.

All of the photographs featured in the exhibition were acquired by the La Salle University Art Museum as part of the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program. Launched in 2007, this Program donated a total of 28,543 photographs by Andy Warhol to 183 college and university museums, galleries and art collections in the United States, including 11 institutions in Pennsylvania. This unprecedented gift has spurred numerous public exhibitions of Warhol’s work, along with scholarly research and publications.

Programming for the exhibition will include a Curator’s Talk by Klare Scarborough, Ph.D., on April 17, 2012, at 1 p.m. in 190 Holroyd Hall; and a lecture about art collecting and the art market by Alexis McCarthy of Christie’s on April 25, at 1 p.m. in 390 Holroyd Hall.

Supporters of the exhibition and related programs include The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.; The Samuel S. Fels Fund; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; Christie’s; La Salle University Art Museum’s Art Angels; and La Salle University’s Concert and Lecture Series, School of Business, and Department of Fine Arts.