Art Gallery New South Wales | Sydney, Australia
Exhibition Description:
Pop to Popism is one of the most ambitious exhibitions undertaken by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Some 200 works by 70 of pop’s greatest artists will be presented across an entire floor, many shown in Australia for the first time. Artists include Peter Blake, Niki de Saint Phalle, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Martha Rosler, Ed Ruscha, Martin Sharp, Andy Warhol and Brett Whiteley.
'This will be the most comprehensive survey of pop art to be seen in Australia and reflects the decisive role played by pop in the development of contemporary art,’ said Art Gallery of New South Wales director, Michael Brand. ‘The exhibition will present Australian pop artists alongside their international peers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe and extends beyond the period of classic pop art into the eighties, giving audiences an insight into pop’s enduring legacy both here and abroad.’
Pop art was defined as ‘popular, witty, sexy, gimmicky and glamorous’. The movement exploded in the 1960s, exploring the pop culture world of advertising, celebrity, film, television, music and mass-produced consumer goods. It irrevocably broke down the boundaries between high culture and popular taste, changing art forever.
The works featured in Pop to popism have been borrowed from 35 international museums and private collections including: TATE and Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Modern Art and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York; Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Menil Collection, Houston; National Gallery of Australia and J W Power Collection.
