Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds

February 5: Preview Party
February 6: Member Opening

“I see art in everything . . . It’s art if you see it as art.” 

Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was never one to accept things as they were. A highly influential Pop artist and socialite, he was known for brightly colored works featuring celebrities, politicians, and everyday products like Campbell’s soup cans or Brillo boxes. But Silver Clouds (1966) remains one of Warhol’s most distinctive pieces. In 1964, disillusioned with traditional approaches to painting and sculpture, the artist reached out to engineers to help him create a “floating painting.” The solution was Scotchpak, a new material at the time that was primarily used to wrap sandwiches. Upon seeing the material, Warhol insisted that they make clouds, and the weightless, dreamy sculptures were born.   

Visitors are invited to touch and move among the silver clouds as they float around the gallery. The interactive forms offer an ever-changing reflection of their surroundings and encourage us to linger and experience the beauty and power hiding within the ordinary. 

Image: Steve Schapiro (American, 1934–2022), Andy Warhol under the Silver Cloud Pillow, New York, 1965. © Steve Schapiro and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.