Warhol, Vijande and Suñol

The Suñol Foundation evokes Andy Warhol's visit to Madrid in 1983, invited by gallerist Fernando Vijande , in the exhibition 'Warhol & Vijande, meeting in Barcelona. More than Altered Images by Christopher Makos', which arrives in Barcelona after its visit to the Museo Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid.

The exhibition recalls this historic visit, which had the support of Vijande, a key figure in the configuration of one of the most prominent private contemporary art collections in Spain: the Suñol Soler Collection. The exhibition combines iconic pieces with a teaser of the documentary Warhol-Vijande: Más que Pistolas, Cuchillos y Cruces, which can be seen in its entirety in cinemas in 2025.

Vijande's fascination with Warhol began in 1975 with the acquisition of a large-format portrait of Mao for the collection of his friend Josep Suñol Soler, belonging to the '10 Early Maos' series. This work, created in 1972 and considered one of the painter's most relevant after the assassination attempt he suffered in 1968, has a strong political and historical content, symbolizing a crucial period in the history of the United States and, at the same time , a turning point for Warhol himself.

'Mao', Andy Warhol (1972). Colecció Suñol Soler

During the 1970s and 1980s, Vijande traveled frequently to New York, establishing links with prominent figures on the art scene such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol himself. His vision included the creation of a gallery in Soho, to foster a network between Spanish and American artists and create an artistic bridge between New York and Madrid. In 1981, Vijande opened the gallery that would bear his own name in Madrid, a space that evoked New York minimalism. Two years later, in 1983, Warhol traveled to Spain to inaugurate the exhibition 'Pistolas, Cuchillos y Cruces', created jointly with Fred Hughes and Bob Colacello .

The Suñol Foundation's exhibition, inaugurated last week and open to the public until the end of February, includes 20 portraits from the 'Altered Image' series by Christopher Makos , Warhol's friend and collaborator. Made in June 1981 in New York, this series consists of 349 photographs in which Warhol poses in seven different wigs, theatrical make-up and his usual clothes. According to Makos, these works are an exercise in fluid identity, beyond transvestism and above all reflect vulnerability. In the words of Patrick Moore , of the Andy Warhol Museum : "These images reveal Warhol's personality like no other portrait".

Fernando Vijande, Christopher Makos i Andy Warhol a la Galería Fernando Vijande, 1983. © Luís Pérez Minguez

Warhol was a pioneer in incorporating transgender women and drag into his creations, as reflected in the screen print 'Ladies and Gentlemen', one of the exhibition's standout pieces. The exhibition also includes works such as 'Cuchillos', the piece from the '10 Early Maos' series acquired by Suñol, photographs, personal objects—some from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh—and the Vijande gallery diptych created for the 'exhibition in Madrid in 1983. In addition, you can see the controversial film Mario Banana and other materials that testify to this artistic collaboration.

With this exhibition, the Suñol Foundation presents a very interesting journey through this unique relationship between Warhol, Vijande and Suñol, underlining the relevance of this connection in the context of contemporary art.

'Altered Image', Cristopher Makos (1981). Colecció Suñol Soler