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Bringing the west to canvas

Sponsored: This western pop traveling exhibit is a must see.

(Billy Schenck) The Last Sunset

Art aficionados are in for a treat! A traveling art exhibit by renowned artists Andy Warhol, Cowboys and Indians, and Billy Schenck, Myth of the West, will be on display at Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), January 19-March, 19, 2022, thanks to the Briscoe Western Art Museum for curating this traveling exhibition.

The iconic paintings and screenprints, in the style of Western Pop, are a must-see for art lovers and fans of the West alike. Western Pop applies the ideology and methods of Pop Art to themes typically associated with the America West.

The Cowboy and Indian suite by Andy Warhol is the last project by Warhol before his death in 1987, a remarkable example of how modern art can be linked with traditional Western painting. Warhol and the Pop Art movement established a link to Western Art that is often overlooked but no less important in establishing a tradition for today’s contemporary collectors.

The Western Pop movement, founded in part by Billy Schenck, and the works in this exhibition, Myth of the West, represent Schenck’s signature style. He transformed traditional Western images from realism to flat, sharply defined simplified areas with color and patterns that are characteristic for him as an artist who uses reductive techniques. This retrospective of the artist’s work showcases 26 pieces in his distinctive style.

“We could not be more honored to bring the work of Warhol and Schenck to southern Utah,” said Jessica Kinsey, Executive Director of SUMA. “Simply put, Warhol is an icon and Schenck is perpetuating the pop art movement through Western Pop and remaining authentic to who he is: a cowboy.”

The Warhol and Schenck exhibits are complementary to each other. Cowboys and Indians explore how the father of American pop art highlighted classic Western archetypes and called attention to myths of the American West in his colorful, iconic style. Schenck’s work shows why he is considered the “Warhol of the West.”

In addition, an exhibition featuring 19 new paintings by Billy Schenck will run simultaneously in Salt Lake City in the opening of his first-ever landscape-only show. “Utah is my favorite place,” said Mr. Schenck when discussing his solo exhibition at Modern West Fine Art. Specifically, of Utah-specific landscapes, the exhibition Schenck’s Utah: A Land Less Traveled will be on display from January 11 through March 11, 2022. In conjunction with the Gallery Stroll, a public opening will be held on January 21 from 6-8 p.m., with the artist in attendance.

The two-month exhibit of Andy Warhol: Cowboys and Indians and Billy Schenck: Myth of the West opens at SUMA on January 19, 2022. For more information, visit SUMA’s website at go.suu.edu/westernpop.

The Southern Utah Museum of Art is located at 13 S 300 W, Cedar City, UT 84720.