Warhol's Political Touch

The iconic red, white and blue posters of Barack Obama with the words HOPE, CHANGE, or PROGRESS emblazoned underneath were designed by artist Shepard Fairey, perhaps best known for his OBEY posters featuring Andre the Giant. In the Obama posters, one can’t help but think of Andy Warhol.

Warhol’s work not only blurred the lines between commercial and fine art, but the boundaries between creativity and popular culture. His political portraits, from Kennedy to Nixon to Mao, changed the august portraiture of political leaders. In the 1970s, political hopefuls sought him out for commissioned portraits, to position themselves as contemporary, progressive, and famous.

Sharon Matt Atkins is the curator of the new exhibit Andy Warhol: Pop Politics, now showing at the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester. She joins Word of Mouth in the studio to discuss Warhol's political portraits.