Warhol After Munch

Book excerpt: Andy Warhol (1928-1987) famously once declared: "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it." In 1984, the avatar of superficiality took on a potentially surprising new subject: the work of Norwegian Symbolist Edvard Munch (1863-1944). Warhol made an extensive series of prints based on four of Munch's major subjects--the iconic "The Scream," "Madonna," "Self-Portrait" and "The Brooch"--working with dazzling new color tones including silver and gold. Published on the occasion of an exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, and featuring a beautiful silkscreened cover, Warhol after Munch unites Warhol's unusual series with its source material. With some never-before-reproduced works, along with in-depth scholarly essays, this catalogue is a must for fans of Munch and Warhol alike, and anyone interested in the cross-germination of visual ideas.