Crowds at Warhol Up Late.

Brisbane has farewelled the exclusive Andy Warhol exhibition after a hugely successful four-month showing at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA).

Australia's first major Andy Warhol retrospective, the exhibition closed on Sunday 13 April after attracting more than 230,000 visitors since opening last December.

The diverse audience was one of the exhibition's great success stories: almost half the visitors travelled from regional Queensland, interstate and overseas, particularly New Zealand, and a large number were first-time visitors.

This extraordinary popularity prompted the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, USA, to take the rare step of offering the gallery a two-week extension until 13 April.

Queensland Art Gallery Director Tony Ellwood said the fantastic response was a great incentive to the Gallery to offer more international and exclusive exhibitions.

"Following the success of the Warhol exhibition, the Gallery is now finalising preparations for Picasso & his collection which opens on 9 June – another exclusive for Brisbane," Mr Ellwood said.

"It will also feature special programming for children and young people and an Up Late series."

During Andy Warhol, more than 15,000 high school students and 9,500 primary students took part in organised tours and activities. More than 109,000 visitors had their own Warhol-inspired celebrity portrait taken in the Silver Factory photobooths and more than 58,000 visitors made their own screen test.

The Warhol Up Late series attracted 20,267 people, closing on Saturday with a sell-out performance by award-winning Australian band Wolfmother.

For more information on the gallery's upcoming exhibitions and events visit Queensland Art Gallery.

< Back to Arts Update

We welcome feedback and contributions to Arts Update. Please contact the editor, Colleen Turner on (07) 3225 8841 or email artsupdate@arts.qld.gov.au