WARHOL: The Dialectical Third

This collection comprises numerous works that, during Andy Warhol’s lifetime, received limited exposure because of social and sexual taboos and thus remained largely unknown to the broader public. The private collection on display contains 148 Polaroids, including those from the Ladies and Gentlemen (1975), Sex Parts (1976), and Torso (1977)series, as well as the Polaroids from Querelle (1982).

This mainly polaroid exhibition is supplemented by two screen prints from the Sex Parts series, one from Querelle, and two graphite drawings, one of which belongs to the Torso series. The other is an earlier hand drawing depicting three studies of the male torso. A custom-crafted Louis Vuitton Malle steamer trunk was designed to exhibit the Polaroids and underscore its fate as a traveling exhibition. The one-of-a-kind trunk highlights the tension and contradictions between cultural hierarchy and production, demonstrating the high-vs.-low theme Warhol tested throughout his career.

This exhibit is on loan by Dr. Grove to The Grove Foundation for the Arts

Central to our mission of expanding access to contemporary art, the Foundation lends significant works to exhibiting venues worldwide each year. This program expands public access to important pieces and broadens visibility for works critical to art history and scholarship.

2025 INAUGURAL PROJECT

Introduction of a lending program featuring a collection of primarily Warhol Polaroids housed in a uniquely designed Louis Vuitton trunk, along with accompanying works from his 1970s series that focus on engaging with marginalized identities and gender performance. As a strategy for visibility through the arts, this collection of Andy Warhol’s artwork represents the collector’s commitment to advocating for silenced communities and freedom of expression. By showcasing this collection in a traveling exhibition, it aims to increase awareness and educate the public about Andy Warhol’s rarely exhibited body of work.