LS&Co. Unzipped

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Mar 31 2011

Andy Warhol, Statuesque in Levi's®

Gothamist.com summed it up well: Andy Warhol is getting an extension on his 15 minutes of fame.

Yesterday evening, “The Andy Monument” was unveiled in New York’s Union Square, in front of Warhol’s Factory Studio of the 1970s and ‘80s.

I’m told that Warhol’s favorite garment was black Levi’s® 501® jeans. In fact, the Warhol Museum in his native Pittsburgh has some of his jeans in the collection. And 501s® are what he’s wearing in artist Robert Pruitt’s work of art.

Like the rest of the statue, the jeans aren’t black – they’re a very shiny chrome. Pruitt told the New York Press he decided on a shiny finish as a cue to Warhol’s first New York factory, which was wallpapered in silver foil, and also to shift the focus to the essence of the man, not superficial details like wrinkles and lines.

Why a statute of Andy in New York? Pruitt sums it up well in a letter on Facebook:

Andy, like so many other artists and performers and people who don’t fit in, moved to New York to be himself, fulfill his dreams and make it big. That’s why I moved here, and that’s what my Andy Monument is about. Of course it could be argued that someone could just go to the Modern and look at his Soup Cans, but I think there is something to being truly out in streets of New York,  to have something you can visit at 4:20 in the morning with your friends.

Levi’s has a connection with Warhol beyond being the maker of the artist’s favorite jeans. In 2006, we partnered with his estate on a clothing line: Warhol Factory X Levi’s® Collection.

The statue will remain on display until October, although supporters are hoping it finds a permanent home in Union Square, along with those of George Washingon, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.

Image: Kathleen Horan, WNYC

Posted By: Cory Warren, Editor, LS&Co. Unzipped

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Tags: Art,Fashion,Levi's®

Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.

gadgets (not verified) - Dec 09 2011
This post couldnt be more correct.

JESSE DZIEDZIC (not verified) - Oct 20 2011
What a really good blog..

cwarren - Apr 01 2011
Saw on Twitter that folks were leaving cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup at the statue.

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