The McNay Art Museum Presents:
ANDY WARHOL AND RICHARD DUARDO: POP PORTRAITS
Thru May 9th, 2021
It is with great pleasure that we share the current exhibition at The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas.
Our founder, family, and friend, the late Richard Duardo, is on exhibition alongside his caddy-costal, pop-icon, nickname-sake, Andy Warhol!
“This exhibition focuses on the accomplishments and influence of two major American artists, Andy Warhol and Richard Duardo, who both have had a significant presence at the McNay. Here, Warhol’s Liz hangs alongside Duardo’s Four Fridas, which not only pays homage to the great Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, but demonstrates Duardo’s great admiration for the work of Warhol. Duardo, often referred to as the West Coast Warhol, employs the Pop master’s use of multiple images set in a grid, vivid color palette, and photographic source material…” (McNay.com)
A huge thank you to Lyle Williams, the Curator of the current presentation (as well as the 2015 McNay Duardo Exhibition), and to The McNay Art Museum for championing Duardo’s story ever since his passing in 2014.
The nickname The West Coast Warhol, or Warhol of the West, was coined for Duardo at least before the turn of the century, as is seen in the above 1999 limited edition serigraph. Mat Gleason and Richard Duardo hosted this event at Coagula Gallery. The nickname was received rather ambivalently at times by Duardo, and in the next breath he was a self-proclaimed “third generation pop artist” a la Warhol. At one point they met, offered each other assistant printer positions on their respective coastal studios, and mutually declined. (More Stories from UCLA’s CSRC here)
Richard Duardo, albeit renowned in an international way, still has not seen the same fame and success that many of the artists he influenced over the decades have. I believe his legacy, lore, and art are will only grow with time, making him the timeless legend he already is to so many influential artists to the rest of the art world.
