ICON: L’EREDITÀ DI UN’ARTE RIVOLUZIONARIA

ICON: THE LEGACY

OF A REVOLUTIONARY ART

WARHOL – BASQUIAT – HARING – SCHARF

For the first time together, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf meet in an exclusive and unprecedented exhibition: “Icon, the legacy of a revolutionary art” at the Convitto delle Arti – Noto Museum. An immersive journey into the explosive energy of four geniuses who marked a radical change in contemporary art.

Warhol's Revolution

When Andy Warhol entered the New York scene, Pop Art was still being defined. His bold language, based on serial reproduction and the elimination of subjectivity, transformed art into a reflection of consumer society. His influence was not limited to the art system but transcended fashion, advertising, music, cinema and digital culture. Warhol thus became a living myth, the central figure of a new generation.

The New Generation:

Basquiat, Haring e Scharf

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf do not reinterpret Pop Art but deconstruct and rewrite it, contaminating it with street culture, graffiti and surrealism in which the boundaries between art and reality dissolve.

In them, Warhol is not a model to follow but an open structure within which everything is possible.

The collaboration between Warhol and his “spiritual sons” testifies to an aesthetic continuity that goes beyond artistic affinity, reflecting a profound cultural and emotional dialogue.

Sacredness in Art

Warhol’s artistic journey on the theme of sacredness is emblematic, a pioneering anticipation that challenges conventions, where spirituality becomes an open terrain for new and bold visual and symbolic contaminations.

It is no coincidence that in the following generation, Keith Haring's stylized, dancing figures can take on almost religious meanings, transforming into universal symbols of peace, harmony and human solidarity, while Kenny Scharf's post-apocalyptic, science-fiction universe proposes an alternative vision of the sacred, where alien creatures and mystical figures coexist in a new spiritual iconography.

Icons and New Frontiers

In the 1980s, the concept of icon definitively surpasses the boundaries of artistic tradition, exploring new mediums and disciplines. Warhol, Basquiat, Haring and Scharf embody this spirit of exploration, breaking down the boundaries between visual art, performance, fashion, everyday objects and music. Their work bears witness to a cultural vision in which the image becomes a multifaceted and trans-disciplinary language.

Andy Warhol was among the first to understand the potential of the fusion between visual art and music, collaborating with bands such as The Velvet Underground. His aesthetics anticipate a dimension that is not limited to traditional media, but embraces photography, experimental film and performance.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, with his famous collaboration with Rammellzee for the single Beat Bop, proposes a vision in which music and visual art merge entirely.

Keith Haring, immersed in club and street culture, takes his visual language out of galleries, intervening on public spaces, everyday objects and collective performances, breaking down the traditional hierarchies of art. His work represents a total fusion between image, body and social space, creating a universal and inclusive aesthetic experience.

Kenny Scharf, instead, explores a psychedelic and visionary universe, where his creations blend pop, science fiction and apocalyptic elements, in an interactive and immersive dimension, crossing the boundary between art and consumer objects.

The exhibition is divided into five sections, revealing how, in the 1980s, art went beyond the boundaries of traditional techniques and media, evolving into a fluid and permeable language, in constant dialogue with everyday reality, music and popular culture.

Warhol, Basquiat, Haring and Scharf embody this new cultural paradigm, in which the icon, once freed, never goes back: it changes, reconfigures itself and intertwines with contemporary culture, until it becomes indistinguishable from reality itself. An open system, without borders, in which art multiplies infinitely, maintaining its capacity for metamorphosis intact.

Polaroid SX-70 con fotografia firmata da Andy Warhol

Private collection

Una rara Polaroid SX-70 che sviluppa uno scatto originale di Andy Warhol, firmato a mano dall’artista. L'immagine, che lo ritrae durante un evento mondano, rappresenta non solo un frammento del suo universo sociale, ma anche una testimonianza dell’uso della fotografia istantanea come strumento creativo e archivistico nel suo processo artistico.

Andy Warhol, Mona Lisa (Reversal Series), ca. 1978

Inchiostro serigrafico su carta

Opera unica, 101,6 × 68,9 cm

Private collection

Questa iconica reinterpretazione della Gioconda di Leonardo da Vinci appartiene alla celebre Reversal Series, in cui Warhol sovverte l’immagine canonica trasformandola in una presenza spettrale e straniante. Attraverso l’inversione dei contrasti e l’uso di un bianco abbacinante, l’opera riflette sull’ambiguità della memoria visiva e sulla sua riproducibilità nel linguaggio della Pop Art.

Disco Room

Prepare to feel part of an unforgettable era, where music, fashion and freedom merged in an explosion of creativity. Immerse yourself in the golden age of disco with our immersive room inspired by New York City's Studio 54. Prepare to live a unique sensory experience, where iconic images and overwhelming music merge to recreate the legendary atmosphere of the most exclusive club ever.

A journey through time

Enter a glittering world where strobe lights dance on the walls and disco music envelops you in a vortex of energy. High-definition images projected in 360 degrees will transport you to the heart of Studio 54, among its legendary nights and its illustrious guests.