City gallery hopes for fresh success with Warhol show

One of the most celebrated and controversial figures of 20th century art, Warhol’s shows still pull in the crowds more than 20 years after his death.

Assistant curator of exhibitions at the Ferens Art Gallery Claire Longrigg said she hoped it would prove as big a draw as Hockney’s Bigger Trees Near Warter, which attracted a record 63,000 visitors.

The works are being lent to the Ferens by Artists Rooms, a collection of modern and contemporary art donated by Anthony d’Offay to Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.

Volunteers who worked on the first Artists Rooms – which showed far less well known work by the American photographer Francesca Woodman – will be once again helping out.

Ms Longrigg said: “Hockney has resonance, but Hockney as a name has a draw, and I am hoping it will be as busy, if not busier.”

Coun Terry Geraghty said: “We anticipate the Andy Warhol Artist Room will be hugely popular in Hull and the wider region. The ambitious programme at the Ferens Art Gallery is a part of our ongoing commitment to bringing great cultural events for the benefit of residents as well as to attract visitors to the city.”

The Andy Warhol Artist Room will run from seven months from Saturday June 2. The theme of the show has not yet been decided, but selectors have 200 works to choose from, including screenprint paintings of celebrities and some of his early drawings. For more see www.artfund.org.