The walls of the exhibit are covered with photographic images captured by Warhol using a small Polaroid camera that he took with him everywhere he went. Though often featuring candid shots of celebrities and a countless array of "unidentified" models, the photographs lack any paparazzi feel and look as though the subject is not being caught unaware, but is instead offering himself or herself up for Warhol's use.
One of the most striking pieces in the installation is a 1972 painting of actor Dennis Hopper, who appeared in Warhol's 1963 underground film "Tarzan and Jane Regained ... Sort of." The painting is a noticeable break from Warhol's typical work with brightly colored, smooth surfaced prints, as it features a brooding palette of dark greens and blacks overlaid with choppy red brush strokes to depict just the faintest outline of the actor's features. Warhol's underrated skills as a pure painter are put on full display in this work, as the dark background gives the painting a somber, pensive feel as the dashes of red suggest a wildness and intensity in the actor.
While sugary sentiment and commercialism do have a place in Warhol's oeuvre, "Follow the Money" reminds viewers that Warhol was not blind to the harsh realities of American life and many of his works have a distinctive political edge to them. His most effective political works featured in the show are his 1966 print "Jackie II," depicting Jackie Kennedy in a state of mourning over her husband's death and his 1968 set of four prints "Flash November 22, 1963," which recount the events of John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas on that fateful day in 1963.
Created in the aftermath of tragic events in American history, the pieces have an urgent shock-like visual presence that conjures up feelings of a moment when time seemingly stopped.
"[The pieces] show how [Warhol] was both a part of the time he lived in and how he was able to reflect it back on society," Curator of Academic Programming at the Hood Catherine Hart said.
The installation's feature work is the very large 1967 portrait of Dartmouth alumnus and former New York governor Nelson Rockefeller '30. The piece is done on a large scale and is brightly colored with pale blue, green and pink, depicting the easygoing and charming Rockefeller in a moment of dynamic action. Warhol painted Rockefeller at a podium leaning into a collection of media microphones, giving the portrait a feeling of immediacy and vigor. The piece is classic Warhol, as he combines a simple image with basic techniques but is able to create something with a visual snap that forces the viewer to grapple with both the artist and the subject.
Works such as Warhol's 1986 "Self-Portrait on Hanes XXL T-Shirt" which was made to help launch a friend's New York City clothing shop is an eerie, wraithlike self-portrait done in a brash punk palette of acid pink and black.
The exhibit highlights Warhol's ability to work in a variety of different artistic mediums. Though small in scale, the exhibit features magazine covers, large silkscreen prints, paintings, photographs and even album covers, like the one he created for the 1971 Rolling Stone album "Sticky Fingers." This range gives the viewer a sense of how prolific Warhol was and proves that he truly believed his 1975 statement, "Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art."
Despite the fact that "Follow the Money" only has a small selection of pieces, it does an incredible job of allowing the viewer to step into Warhol's world and engage with his transformative art and pop personality.
The exhibit, which opened July 17, will run until Sept. 19.
