I touched a Warhol
I’m probably the only one at SXSW that is taking this time to blog about something totally different. I’ve got the obligatory SXSW post brewing but for now, I’m going to point out something that is likely to have just as big of an impression on me. Jess is working at a gallery that is opening on Saturday. The inagural show is a collection of Warhol prints that have never been shown and were never meant to be shown— they were made as gifts or trial proofs, etc. I went with her on Saturday morning before Zeldman’s opening to the frame shop that had the prints, so she could take some digital photos of a couple of them to promote the show. So I got to see a newly framed chocolate bunny, an unframed study of Muhammad Ali’s fist, and an unframed trial proof of his fish wallpaper. The fish wallpaper was large and on very thin paper, and Jess had a hard time keeping it from rolling back up on itself. So she had me and the frame guy hold it open for her while she took the photo. I will be posting the photo here of my hands holding open the Warhol print that has never been shown before, but I couldn’t wait any longer to make this post and rub it in. What does it say about me that what I wanted to do really badly was stick my face right into the print and smell it? I didn’t, but I wanted to. And I could have. But I didn’t. I was wearing gloves by the way, but I still touched a Warhol.