The Man Behind the Myth: On the intimate side of Andy Warhol
Panel Discussion with James R. Hedges IV, Annette Spohn and Andrew Rossi
Self-Portrait, 1971 © 2024 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Licensed by Artist Rights Society, ARS, New York
Who was Andy Warhol as a person, filmmaker and photographer? To dive deeper into this iconic artist’s hidden longings, artistic vision and impact on the world, we are inviting James R. Hedges IV, collector and co-curator of our Andy Warhol: After The Party exhibition, to reflect on his legacy, alongside Warhol biographer Annette Spohn and Emmy-nominated film director, writer and executive producer Andrew Rossi (The Andy Warhol Diaries, 2022). Get to know the person behind the icon, and explore what keeps us so fascinated with Warhol through the ages.
Panelists
James R. Hedges IV
Co-Curator Hedges Projects, LLC serves as an art collecting, art dealing and art production arm for the James Hedges Collection.
James ("Jim") R. Hedges IV has been an active art collector and patron for over 30 years. He is currently a cultural producer, curator and art dealer, owning the world’s largest private collection of Andy Warhol photographs. To name a few, Hedges has served on The Drawings Acquisition Committee at the Museum of Modern Art, a Trustee for The Drawing Center, a Founder of The American Friends of the Tate Gallery, and member of the National Committee for the Whitney Museum of American Art. He is also a former Director of The National Public Radio Foundation (NPR). Additionally, Hedges has assisted in the publishing of artist monographs including Sigmar Polke, Robert Mangold, Sol LeWitt, Ed Ruscha and numerous others.
Annette Spohn
Annette Spohn studied art history, German studies and philosophy and has worked as a cultural editor for television for many years. She is the author of the 2008 biography Andy Warhol – Leben, Werk, Wirkung, which was published by Suhrkamp Verlag. She has always been interested in artists on the margins of society, ever since she lived in New York as part of writing her doctorate on Eva Hesse, where she first encountered the intimate drawings of Andy Warhol. The catalogue of a New York gallery showed a completely different side to the Pop Art artist than the one she had encountered during her studies, compelling her to document hiswork and life.
Andrew Rossi
Andrew Rossi recently created the Netflix series The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022), deconstructing Warhol’s persona through Andy’s own words to reveal a gay man with vibrant romantic relationships and a deep spiritual life. Rossi was nominated for three Primetime Emmys for writing, directing and executive producing the Diaries as well as Gotham and GLAAD Awards for best non fiction series. Rossi consistently aims to penetrate the myths around iconic institutions and personalities, including his documentaries Page One (2011), about the New York Times and The First Monday in May (2016) about the Metropolitan Museum's costume institute, as well as the short film he produced revisiting the legacy of Sigmund Freud, Hysterical Girl (2021), which was shortlisted for the Academy Award.
Agenda
17:30 Doors Open
18:00 Introduction by Solvej Ovesen (Director of Programming at Fotografiska Berlin)
18:10 Panel Discussion with James R. Hedges IV, Annette Spohn and Andrew Rossi moderated by Solvej Ovesen
19:00 Open Q&A