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Andy Warhol image: thecityreview.com

The enduring legacy of some artists is nothing short of amazing. Take Andy Warhol, for instance. Not only did he question the very notion of what original art might be, he essentially mechanized its production. Yet today, anything he did (or didn’t do – at least not himself – as the case may be) instantly becomes a hot topic of conversation, and usually a hot commodity at the same time.

Andy Warhol image: walltowatch.com

For instance, take his little known, “Athlete Series”. Commissioned for a single collector in the late 1970s and early 80s, this collection of ten works was produced using Warhol’s standard silk screening method. While the collection, currently valued at $10 million, have a sordid history of their own, even the elements of their earliest beginnings are now considered art.

Andy Warhol image: walltowatch.com

In order to create a silk screen, an image is “burned” to a screen using emulsion fluid. Warhol, who popularized the use of the process in fine art, often used polaroids that he shot himself as the base image. From time to time, his original photographs of celebrities, or in this case, sports stars, pop up and create a stir in the art world.

Andy Warhol image: walltowatch.com

In 2009, that very thing happened with the “Athlete Series.” New York City’s Danziger Projects put together a small show of just the original polaroids from that particular cycle of work – elevating the artist’s materials to the status (if not also the value) of the final products. Before you take a look at the original New York Times article to see a slideshow of all the original polariods, see if you can identify all of the 70s sport starts above.

I guess it’s fitting that a man who was so obsessed with fame – his own and others – redefined it for artists everywhere. If only Warhol had known. Or maybe he did.

If you’re headed to New York this month, congratulations! You’ve missed the peak of the hot weather and there are some good art shows to catch. Of course, this is only a fraction of the exhibits New York has to offer, but if I were in New York this month, this is where you’d find me. If you visit any of these exhibits, or others you think are worth a peek, let us know about them here on WallSpin.

Demetrius Oliver at The High Line

• Demetrius Oliver at the High Line opens September 7 at 6:30pm: Demetrius Oliver‘s Jupiter will be installed on a 25-by-75-foot billboard adjacent to the High Line at West 18th Street. Jupiter features five round photographs exposing mysterious acts and props, but lacking a human presence. Set against a solid, black background, each photograph resembles a planet floating in a night sky, an association reinforced by how they appear to be incrementally rotating in space. Live musical performances and stargazing from the High Line will accompany the piece. Artist Blanche Bruce and multiple groups of student musicians will perform “Jupiter” by John Coltrane on September 7, 18, 21, and October 2, 2010. Additionally, Oliver will join the New York chapter of the Amateur Astronomers Association on the High Line on September 21, 2010 to celebrate both the autumnal equinox and the Jupiter opposition — the day Earth passes between the Sun and Jupiter, making the distant planet most clearly visible.

Showtime SHO House: Weeds Lounge by Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke

• Showtime SHO House 2010 opens September 7: Step into the only multimedia showhouse of its kind with Showtime House 2010. Three penthouses, atop Manhattan’s iconic Cassa Hotel and Residences, have been transformed into show-stopping rooms of modern design inspired by seven Showtime original series: The Borgias, The Big C, Weeds, Californication, Dexter, Nurse Jackie, and United States of Tara. Bringing the offbeat characters of Showtime to life with style, wit and drama is a group of trendsetting designers and architects including this month’s Zatista Guest Curator: Jason Oliver Nixon.

Kiki Smith, Messenger III at the Brooklyn Museum

• Kiki Smith: Sojourn at the Brooklyn Museum ends September 12: Since the 1970s, Kiki Smith has created an impressive body of work relating to the physical and emotional experiences of women. Her new site-specific installation at the Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, titled Sojourn, was inspired by a significant 18th-century needlework by Prudence Punderson, The First, Second and Last Scenes of Mortality. Via a range of Smith’s cast objects, sculpture, and works on paper, the exhibit explores milestones of female artists, from creative awakening to death. -Angela Ashman, Village Voice

Andy Warhol, Rorschach Image at the Brooklyn Museum

• Andy Warhol: The Last Decade at the Brooklyn Museum ends September 12: Andy Warhol: The Last Decade is the first U.S. museum survey to examine the late work of American artist Andy Warhol (1928–1987). Encompassing nearly fifty works, the exhibition reveals the artist’s vitality, energy, and renewed spirit of experimentation. During this time Warhol produced more works, in a considerable number of series and on a vastly larger scale, than at any other point in his forty-year career. It was a decade of great artistic development for him, during which a dramatic transformation of his style took place alongside the introduction of new techniques.

David LaChapelle: American Jesus, Paul Kasmin Gallery

• David LaChapelle: American Jesus, Paul Kasmin Gallery ends September 18: If you saw that Rolling Stone cover of Lady Gaga against a bright pink backdrop, wearing a bubble dress and with frizzed-out hair, then you’re familiar with the work of photographer David LaChapelle. LaChapelle, known for his outlandish and larger-than-life images of celebrities, now has a show at Paul Kasmin Gallery called American Jesus, with the martyr played by none other than Michael Jackson. In one, Jackson lies across the lap of a modern-day hippie Jesus in a forest; in another, titled Beatification, a ghostly white Jackson stands beside the Virgin Mary with a dove and a clock in his hand. Others making an appearance in this show: Naomi Campbell and the devil—though not as the same person. -Araceli Cruz,Village Voice

Rivane Neuenschwander: All The Little Things at The New Museum

• Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other, The New Museum ends September 19: Rivane Neuenschwander, who hails from Brazil, is more of a spiritual healer than an artist. Her show A Day Like Any Other showcases her conceptualism in painting, photography, film, sculpture, installation, collaborative actions, and participatory events. But here’s why we’re really going: “I Wish Your Wish” is a wall full of hundreds of “faithful” colorful silk ribbons with wishes on them written by visitors from past projects. Visitors will be invited to remove a ribbon, tie it to their wrist, and replace it with a new wish written on a slip of paper because, according to tradition, their wishes are granted when the ribbons wear away and fall off. And in her piece “First Love,” a police sketch artist will sit with visitors and listen as visitors describe the faces of their first loves; he will then produce portraits of these “first loves” to adorn the walls of the gallery for the duration of the exhibition. We can’t wait! -Araceli Cruz,Village Voice

Fast cars aren’t typically my thing…

Michael Wilson "Silver Ferrari #2" zatista.com

…but the presentation of the 2010 BMW Art Car earlier this month piqued my interest. Designed this year by well known American Neo-Pop artist Jeff Koons, the BMW Art Car has had seventeen incarnations since 1975.

Photo courtesy of BMW: Jeff Koons

Artists previously invited to design the BMW Art Car include: Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and David Hockney.

Photo courtesy of BMW: Rauschenberg Hood Detail

I like the unconventional idea of using cars as canvas and I’m always interested in the result of blending art and design. I enjoyed seeing these photos of the artists with their cars as well.

Photo courtesy of BMW: Alexander Calder

Photo courtesy of BMW: Andy Warhol

Photo courtesy of BMW: David Hockney

I realize now that the BMW commercial which caught my eye last year was born from BMW’s Art Car program. Here’s artist Robin Rhode’s Art Car concept featured in this cool BMW commercial.

Photo courtesy of BMW: Robin Rhode canvas

Some cars are so beautifully designed that they become works of art. If you’re an automotive fan, what cars do you think are works of art? If you’re a fan of art, who do you think should be the next artist invited to create a BMW Art Car?

First, a little history lesson. When pop art entered the scene in the late 1950s, it swiftly became the art of the masses. Common objects like Campbell’s Soup Can labels and boxes of commercial soap were used to inspire feelings of romance, sentimentality and humor. Leading the movement was Andy Warhol, an American painter and filmmaker. Warhol was in love with the cult of celebrity and enjoyed infusing the images of some of America’s most beloved icons into his work.  One of Warhol’s famous pieces, “Eight Elvises,” recently sold for a record $100 million. In case you’re wondering what $100 million looks like, here you go:

"Eight Elvises" by Andy Warhol (courtesy of Upper Playground.com)

Thankfully, you don’t have to be a millionaire to infuse your home with the flavor and fun of pop art. Here’s a perfect piece for your TV room- especially if you’re a fan of Transformers (because clearly, that’s why everyone is into Megan Fox):

"Megan Fox" by Dan Griffin-Hayes, a Zatista artist

Instead of hanging one of those country kitsch “restroom” signs that have become so popular, why not hang a referential Vaseline Hair Tonic magazine ad?

"Oh-Oh Dry Scalp" by George Fryne, a Zatista artist

If you’re looking to ignite discussion, there’s nothing like an image of Fidel to stoke the conversational fires…

“Fidel” by Martin Wachter, a Zatista artist

Of course, some naysayers believe that pop art is a hackneyed, juvenile hobby for artists who can’t execute their visions using traditional mediums.  While I strongly disagree, do you consider pop art a valid form of artistic expression?

Portraits often depict very powerful people — those who have a lot of control of the world around them. Yet they are still art. What the artist had in mind and what the subject had in mind will never be exactly the same. One example is President Lyndon B. Johnson’s official White House Portrait. Johnson chose Peter Hurd to create his image on canvas for the White House. But when Hurd showed the image to Johnson, he said it was “the ugliest thing I ever saw.” Hurd later gave it to the National Portrait Gallery.

"The ugliest thing I ever saw." -Lyndon B. Johnson

Official White House portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson by Peter Hurd

And then there’s the type of portrait that may not be well-liked in the end due to circumstances entirely beyond the artist’s control. This sculpture portrays the former leggy lady of Victoria’s Secret, Stephanie Seymour. Her husband, Peter Brant, owns it. Soon it may be all he has left of her, as they are getting divorced (messily).

The mounted (simulated) torso of Peter Brant's soon-to-be ex-wife Stephanie Seymour, by Maurizio Cattelan (1 of 3)

Artists creating self-portraits have a better time of it generally (no, we’re not going to get into Van Gogh and his poor old ear, here). Andy Warhol made hundreds of self-portraits during his lifetime. Here’s the last one he made, a few months before his death:

Last Self-Portrait, 1986 Andy Warhol

Frida Kahlo portrayed herself after her divorce from Diego Rivera as two starkly and painfully separate women (that’s a portrait of Diego in the hand of the colorfully dressed Frida):

Painting Title: The Two Fridas 1939 Collection of the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City

The artist Kehinde Wiley has taken classic, famous pieces of European portraiture and replaced the original subject (in this case Napoleon) with young unknown African-American men:

Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps, 2005, by Kehinde Wiley (9' x 9')

Bonaparte Crossing the Alps at Grand-Saint-Bernard by Jacques-Louis David 1801 (8.5' x 7.25')

Portraits don’t have to be limited to human beings. Here, one of Zatista’s artists, Sam Dolman, captures a cow pausing between chews of cud:

Suspicious by Sam Dolman

Ben 1, by Rob MacInnis

The photographer Rob MacInnis created a series of images using farm animals:

Cameron, by Rob MacInnis

Keira, by Rob MacInnis