The Proclaimers to be given the Warhol treatment

03.10.2013

Scots band The Proclaimers will be given the ‘Warhol’ treatment this month when an image of the twins will be used for a series of free screen-printing workshops being held at the Scottish Parliament. These sessions are running as part of the new ‘Andy Warhol:  Pop, Power and Politics’ exhibition which runs until Sunday 3 November.

Run by the Fife Dunfermline Printmakers Workshop and supported by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, the workshops will provide an insight into Warhol’s technique and offer an opportunity to see how his iconic images were produced.

The Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP said:

“The Proclaimer’s are one of Scotland’s best loved music acts and I am sure our visitors will enjoy seeing Craig and Charlie reproduced in Warhol’s distinctive style whilst learning about how he took an industrial process and applied it to his art.” 

Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and Chairman, Robin Watson said:

“It was one of our sister Carnegie institutions which provided Andy Warhol with the free opportunity to study his art in Pittsburgh. We are delighted that The Proclaimers are now supporting us to support the Dunfermline Printmakers Workshop to show for free what Warhol might have done with their image, and how he did it.”

Craig and Charlie Reid said:

“Many thanks to the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, Scottish Parliament and all involved in putting together this great exhibition and workshops. It is an honour to be 'Warholised' and our best wishes towards the success of the events.”

Booking information for the workshops

The workshops will take place on the weekends of 19, 20, 26, 27 October and 2, 3 November.  They will be run from 11.00 am - 4.00pm.    The free demonstrations will last 30 minutes each.   Booking is recommended as places are limited to 30 people for each demonstration.  To book telephone 0131 348 5454, stating required number of places.  The workshops are open to all ages.

Booking information for the exhibition

Booking for ‘Andy Warhol: Pop, Power and Politics’ exhibition is recommended as tickets will be administered by a specific start time to the viewing (unrestricted end time) and can be done via:

• the online form via the Parliament website
• a dedicated telephone line on 0131 348 5454 - the telephone number references the famous New York nightclub, Studio 54, which Warhol frequented regularly during the 70s and 80s
• emailing  warhol@scottish.parliament.uk

Background information

Andy Warhol: Pop, Power and Politics is being exhibited in the Scottish Parliament in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and as a result of generous support from the Carnegie UK Trust as part of Andrew Carnegie’s International Legacy week.  Many of the artworks are being exhibited in Scotland for the first time and the Scottish Parliament is the first legislative body to ever exhibit his work.

Warhol rejected the notion that his art was a critique of society and described himself as an artist who simply depicted the environment of his time.  Featuring mainly works from The Andy Warhol Museum’s collections, the exhibition highlights the artist’s portraits of iconic politicians and other powerful figures, and a number of artworks made to support political and environmental causes.  The artist’s portfolio made five years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, conveys the artist’s interest in mass media and its portrayal of death. 

The exhibition contains significant pieces of Andy Warhol’s work including iconic portraits such as Lenin, Mao, Queen Elizabeth II and Andrew Carnegie.  In association with the exhibition, two portraits of Andy Warhol taken by internationally acclaimed Scottish photographer Harry Benson CBE, will be on loan to the Parliament Art Collection and displayed in the UK for the first time.  A number of works made by Warhol for political and environmental campaigns are also being loaned from Artist Rooms, jointly owned and managed by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.

The exhibition is part of a wider programme of events and exhibitions taking place in the Parliament to celebrate the international legacy of Scots-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie.  The philanthropist made his money in Pittsburgh and The Andy Warhol Museum is just one example of his philanthropic legacy.

Fife Dunfermline Printmakers Workshop

The Fife Dunfermline Printmakers Workshop is an artist-run printmaking workshop established in 1982 for artists based in Fife and neighbouring areas.    The workshop (FDPW) is situated in the basement of the Dell Farquharson Community Centre in Dunfermline.