The king of pop art, a leading photographer and the gallerist who brought them to Spain

Fans of pop art and those interested in contemporary art in general are invited to an exhibition at the Fundació Suñol that recalls the trip to Spain in 1983 of Andy Warhol, who was attending the opening of an exhibition of his work. The exhibition brought North American pop art to the Spanish public and, at the same time, opened up the Iberian art scene to the latest trends of the moment.

The gallerist and discoverer of the most transgressive modernity, Fernando Vijande (Barcelona, 1929 - Madrid, 1986), was in charge of the visit. He was a rebel who, not without problems, had managed to illuminate the last, dark years of the Franco dictatorship with art of the moment and who, by putting together the exhibition Pistolas, Cuchillos, Cruces expressly for Warhol, definitively brought pop art to the peninsula and put the country on the international art map of the moment.

What were those days of Andy Warhol in Spain like? The exhibition, which has already been shown in Madrid and is now coming to Barcelona, offers us an approach in different ways: with the presentation of a documentary entitled Más que Pistolas, Cuchillos y Cruces, in which various cultural personalities who were there talk about Warhol's journey; with works by the artist from the collection of the Fundació Suñol and, especially, with the exhibition "Més que imatges alterades", which brings together a score of photographs by Christopher Makos. Not only was he the man who taught Warhol how to use a Polaroid camera, but he was also one of the great artists of his time, who frequented Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal and Truman Capote. 

While in Spain, Christopher Makos portrayed his friend and collaborator in a series in which he explores gender identity. It is Altered Image, a photographic series that contains some particularly well-known portraits of Warhol (you've seen him, for example, with a wig, make-up and a tie), but also many others that are not so well known and that are sure to surprise the public.

Immerse yourself in the world and the creations of the king of pop art and discover a fundamental gallery owner in the history of recent Spanish art, a man with a magnificent personality. As a curiosity, Fernando Vijande and the real estate businessman Josep Suñol (owner of the Foundation that bears his name and where this exhibition is held) became close friends in the fifties.... thanks to their shared love of Josephine Baker's talent, as they both met at a concert by this artist.

If you like contemporary art, don't miss ‘Warhol & Vijande. Cita a Barcelona’ and “Més que imatges alterades” at Fundació Suñol, but before coming check the website for information about the exhibition.