The more than 60 works in Unseen: Permanent Collection Works have never been displayed since they entered the collection of The Andy Warhol Museum. Some represent riffs on or experiments with well-known Warhol images. Others are previously unshown examples of larger series depicting images that were of importance to Warhol.
The fact that these works have never been shown reflects the enormity of the museum’s collection and the complexity of Warhol’s legacy. Changing tastes of successive museum administrations means that certain objects have been either favored or overlooked. The explicit sexual content of some of the works has also contributed to them not being publicly displayed. But, most importantly, the unseen nature of these works reflects the fact that there is always something new to learn about Andy Warhol and his work.
Unseen: Permanent Collection Works is curated by Patrick Moore, director, The Andy Warhol Museum with the support of Matt Gray, director of archives; Signe Watson, researcher; and The Andy Warhol Museum’s Collections and Exhibition Department.
Unseen: Permanent Collection Works is made possible through support provided by the Curatorial Vision Fund. Leadership support for the Curatorial Vision Fund is provided by Jim Spencer and Michael Lin, and Scott M. Mory.