Image, icon and trademark. These are the premises followed by Andrew Warhola (1928-1987) to build the controversial and transgressive figure that came to dominate the international scene with Pop Art. Obsessed with fame and the star system, he portrayed himself on numerous occasions. However, these paintings do not say much about him.

His portraits, however, reflect the people who accompanied him on his way to success. Each of them helps us to know more about the artist who obteined more than his '15 minutes of fame ': from the anonymous faces he drew in seconds when he was a teenager, to the famous faces of Marilyn or Jackie from the ‘60s.

A selection of these portraits can be seen in the Patio de la Infanta Ibercaja, in a joint collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum of Pittsburgh. The exhibition coincides with the 25th anniversay of Warhol’s death and contains a hundred pieces never seen before in Europe. It focuses on the figures immortalized by the artist between 1940 and 1980. Childhood photographs, drawings, photo booths, polaroids and prints form a mosaic of images that help the public understand the evolution of Pop Art’s precursor. 

The sample has tried to avoid the typical icons of The Factory’s founder, but a picture of Marilyn to welcome visitors coul not be absent from the exhibit. The exhibition starts with two of Warhol greatest myths: Shirley Temple and Truman Capote. The actress is shown in a signed photograph adressed to Andy. The writer appears in a pair of serigraphies.  

The artist was a consumer of magazines since he was a child, so he soon became fascinated by the famous women and their glamour. Therefore, it is not surprising he made his first portraits from photographs in magazines. In the early '60s, Warhol changed his couché paper models to images made by photo booth -he could spend 100 dollars in the machines in Times Square-. The author also abandoned this technique when he bought a polaroid.

Andy Warhol. Portraits will be on view until April, 22. A perfect opportunity to meet the person rather than the character. Or not, because as the author once said, "I'd rather remain a mystery." Sol G. Moreno

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