It was a bit of a grey day today, but we had a date with colour. Back in August we applied for tickets to an Andy Warhol exhibition – named “Pop, Power and Politics” – at the Scottish Parliament, and this weekend was the first weekend of the show.
We set off down towards the Parliament, pausing briefly to look up at the hardy souls who’d climbed Salisbury Crags on this overcast day.
As we were passing by we called in at Holyroodhouse, and since I had my zoom lens on and have taken plenty of photos of the whole palace before I decided to take some detail photos. This is the carved crest of Scotland over the main entrance.
To the left of the main entrance, on the end of the north wing, are a pair of carved panels installed on a pair of round towers. The left panel features a griffin and the initials MR for “Mary Regina” (Mary of Guise, the mother of Mary Queen of Scots).
The right panel carries the image of a unicorn below which are the initials IR5 for “Iacobus (or Jacobus) Rex 5” for King James V.
In front of the entrance is a spectacularly-detailed carved stone fountain.
We were quite early for our allotted time, but we decided to head into the Parliament building anyway and have a look around while we waited. We entered via the new entrance for the first time.
After passing through security we were told that we could join an earlier viewing as there were still places available, and we were directed to follow the dollar signs on the floor to the waiting area.
Unfortunately photography isn’t allowed within the exhibition space, so you’ll have to make do with some photos from the web and a brief description of what I can remember.
Dominating the room was a massive portrait of Andrew Carnegie, in the iconic Warhol style, which was an image I hadn’t seen before. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Carnegie UK Trust, and coincides with events celebrating Andrew Carnegie’s legacy and the centenary of the Carnegie UK Trust.
Also on display are a series of screen prints about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, entitled “Flash – November 22, 1963”.
There are also portraits of other prominent figures from history, including Vladimir Lenin, Richard Nixon, and Queen Elizabeth II.
We paid a visit to the Parliament’s gift shop, and found it to be full of Andy Warhol merchandise – a canny bit of marketing!
It’s an impressive exhibition, and offers a rare chance to see a good selection of Warhol’s work in Scotland. The exhibition is on until the 3rd of November, and tickets can be booked by via the Scottish Parliament’s website.
