Andy Warhol/Friends and Frenemies: Prints from the Cochran Collection — LSU Museum of Art (2024)

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
The LSU Museum of Art in Baton Rouge premieres Andy Warhol / Friends & Frenemies: Prints from the Cochran Collection, January, 11, 2024. The exhibition features over ninety serigraphs, etchings, woodblocks, and lithographs by American and European masters, active between the late 1960s to the early 1990s. These decades represent a unique era of innovation and discovery, with many artists, such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Rauschenberg, and Willem de Kooning, experimenting with imagery, styles, and materials. Their work alludes to cultural and societal shifts sweeping across America as the country emerged from the 1960s, a time of growing consumerism, political scandals, recession, the Vietnam War, and mounting tensions with the Soviet Union. Coined the Me Generation, individuals prioritized their own needs, aspirations, and identities, often departing from the more collective ideologies of previous decades. The era witnessed the rise of countercultural factions and identity politics, including the American Indian Movement, the Gay Liberation Movement, and the second wave of feminism, which propelled conversations about individuality and autonomy to the forefront. The Me Generation’s influence reverberated across society, impacting music, literature, fashion, and art, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.

The exhibition highlights thirty-six original prints by Andy Warhol, exhibited alongside over sixty works by twentieth-century artists who tested the boundaries of the established art world. The show includes examples of abstract expressionism, pop art, neo-expressionism, conceptualism, and minimalism, by an array of artists working in and around the East Coast. They redefined American art, evolving it into a conduit for personal catharsis, social justice, or experimental practice, reflecting the era’s emphasis on self-discovery and introspection. Artists of this period deliberately transcended societal norms and explored unique perspectives, defying entrenched conventions with the development of innovative styles and imagery, creating a complex tapestry that mirrored the evolving society.

The Cochran Collection is owned by Wesley and Missy Cochran of LaGrange, Georgia. The couple has devoted their lives to supporting artists and acquiring art, amassing a vast collection of twentieth-century works on paper representing a wide range of mediums, movements, and styles.

The exhibition will be on view at the LSU Museum of Art from January 11, 2024 to March 31, 2024.