Andy Warhol at the Maraya Exhibition
The AlUla’s mirror-clad concert hall, Maraya, is hosting the Andy Warhol exhibition entitled Fame: Andy Warhol in AlUla. The show sets some of the US Pop artist’s most recognised works in an exceptional and refreshingly contrary environment of the Saudi desert.
The Andy Warhol Museum's director Patrick Moore who curated Fame in partnership with Arts AlUla expressed excitement about displaying the works in a new context and engaging with a local audience. “Being able to show [Warhol’s artworks] in a place where Warhol and even contemporary art have not been seen so frequently, makes this inherently different than doing a show in London, New York or Paris,” he says.
The installation features paintings and prints of Hollywood stars, sporting legends and musicians - including Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali and Dolly Parton, among others - alongside filmed portraits described as “screen tests” of 60s counter-culture icons. It will also include Andy Warhol-designed wallpaper and Warhol’s ground-breaking work, Silver Clouds. The artworks will be accompanied by rarely-seen archival photographs, including Hollywood publicity photos and Polaroid portraits made in his studio and later utilised as source material for his paintings and prints.
As the title suggests, the show explores Warhol’s fascination with fame, beauty, and celebrity in the context of his oeuvre and in relation to the permeating influence of social media now. Moore states: “If you look at Warhol's portraits, they were kind of like an Instagram feed of his life, and I think that that's such a pervasive part with young people in the world.
Perhaps, it is this foresight into long-term popular culture and social values, his ongoing relevance that keeps attracting art collectors and investors to the artist. Warhol’s pieces are some of the most valuable pop artworks in the world. His artwork has historically increased in value, with prices averaging around $1 million since 2013, according to MoneyMade. And since the majority of his paintings were created within the last half-century, they still have plenty of time to age and accrue even higher values in the future.
Apart from the appealing designs and flamboyant style, Warhol’s vast artistic output offers a kind of diversity in prices which makes him more accessible to beginner collectors and investors.
That said, if you decide to invest in the Warhol market, there are a couple of things that you have to take into consideration. Firstly, while art is more tangible than most other classes of investment, it is also non-liquid, which means you won’t see any return on it until you decide to sell.Therefore, to get the best possible return, one would have to be somewhat patient. Secondly, even though the Warhol market is a relatively low-risk one, you should always proceed with caution, weighing up how much money you can reasonably invest and acquiring the work from a reputable source.
We at Theodore & C. would be delighted to help you add the king of pop to your investment portfolio and your art collection. You can find currently available works here.