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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Harn Museum of Art recently received a grant of 150 original Polaroid photographs and gelatin silver prints from one of the nation’s most prestigious arts foundations, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Harn Museum joins 182 other university art museums across the country as a recipient of works by artist, filmmaker and author Andy Warhol.

“Andy Warhol is one of the most influential and iconic artists of the 20th century,” said Kerry Oliver-Smith, curator of contemporary art. "This gift is a major contribution to the Harn Museum's photography and contemporary collections, to the community and to the faculty and students at the University of Florida."

The gift was made in honor of the foundation’s 20th anniversary to promote the study and exhibition of this relatively unknown body of work by Warhol.

"A wealth of information about Warhol's process and his interactions with his sitters is revealed in these images," said Jenny Moore, curator of the Photographic Legacy Program at the Andy Warhol Foundation. "Through his rigorous—though almost unconscious—consistency in shooting, the true idiosyncrasies of his subjects were revealed. Often, he would shoot a person or event with both cameras, cropping one in Polaroid color as a 'photograph' and snapping the other in black and white as a 'picture.' By presenting both kinds of images side by side, the Photographic Legacy Program allows viewers to move back and forth between moments of Warhol's 'art,' 'work,' and 'life'—inseparable parts of a fascinating whole."

Thirty-seven of these Polaroid photographs and gelatin silver prints were recently added to Momentum: Contemporary Art from the Harn Collection, currently on view at the Harn Museum. Warhol used his camera as a sketchbook and as a diary, taking nearly 100,000 snapshots in his lifetime. The Polaroids depict Warhol’s friends and celebrities such as Carly Simon and Ozzy Osbourne. Warhol's black and white photographs were made spontaneously, capturing both the mundane and the sublime.

Momentum: Contemporary Art from the Harn Collection explores the notion of time as it is expressed in contemporary art, focusing on enduring traditions, changing cultures and radical breaks. Docents will lead a tour that will highlight the exhibition and the works by Warhol on Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. Momentum will be on view through May 12, 2009 and is sponsored locally by the Talking Phone Book with additional support from the 150th Anniversary Cultural Plaza Endowment.

For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu.

Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art
The Harn Museum of Art at SW 34th St. and Hull Rd. is one of the largest university art museums in the country with nearly 7,000 works in its collection focusing on African, Asian, modern and contemporary art and photography. The museum enhances the activities of the University of Florida and serves a culturally diverse audience through educational programming. Admission is free. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free on weekends. The Camellia Court Café is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum and café are open until 9 p.m. Thursdays for Museum Nights during the UF Academic calendar due to the generous support of UF Student Government. For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu.

Media contacts:
Tami Wroath, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
352.392.9826 x116
twroath@harn.ufl.edu