Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

February 27, 2010

Andy Warhol's Tucson



Article and photos by Brenda Norrell
Censored News
It was unexpected, but there it was. Andy Warhol photographs, even his cowboy boots, three rooms of them, with Go-Go Sixties dancers. And out back, Sonoran hot dogs and a mechanical bull. All you had to do was lean back on a hay bale and drink it all in, beneath the stars, with one of the ropers. Out back, the hot dogs had grilled onions, raw onions, jalapenos, bacon and some other stuff that I've forgotten. Inside, the world of art was unglued, all unhinged, Andy Warhol was there, jumping in between the chasms of time, leaping back and forth, enjoying it all one more time.
Bob Broder, who once shot for Arizona Republic and other ole news rags (like the ones that I sometimes wrote for) was standing there, in front of the photos of Andy Warhol. There was a surreal quality to it all, Broder standing there in front of a wall of photos that he shot of Warhol in Tucson, with a Navajo blanket and cowboy hats and all. And as the Go Go dancers were doing their thing, Broder was giving me a few pointers on using my cheap point and shoot camera ($100 at boring stores everywhere.) So, he remembered shooting Andy Warhol here in Tucson, as the video of Warhol in Tucson was showing.
There were a lot of great people there, but I don't know any of them. The thing is, people in Tucson don't have to try and dress or act like Andy Warhol, they just are.
Naturals.
Warhol: Dylan to Duchamp
Eric Firestone Gallery, 403 N 6th Ave., Tucson downtown.
Eric Kroll, a TASCHEN photo book editor, and gallery owner Eric Firestone, curated the exhibition. The show combines 28 of the greatest photographers of our time – – Dennis Hopper, Helmut Newton, Nat Finkelstein, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe, Billy Name, Bob Broder, Bob Adelman, Gerard Malanga, Anton Perich, Michael Tighe, Patrick McMullan and others. This inside look into the wonderful Age of Warhol showcases a rare assemblage of color, and black-and-white original prints, including a prestigious body of work on loan from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

thanks for noticing and appreciating the show! a nice write up!