Pope art: Andy Warhol’s Catholic roots subject of New York exhibition

Andy Warhol’s strong connection to Catholicism is the focus of a new exhibition exploring how the US pop artist’s works reflect his relationship with the Christian faith.

New York’s Brooklyn Museum, staging the show, says it is the first exhibition to address this aspect of Warhol’s art, which is better known to many for its celebration of consumerist imagery and Hollywood celebrities.

“Although Andy Warhol is one of the most celebrated and recognizable artists of the twentieth century, his Byzantine Catholic upbringing, and its profound impact on his life and work, remains a lesser known facet of his career,” the exhibition’s curators write.

Around 100 pieces – including paintings, films, photographs and personal items – are on display in the exhibition, which opens on Friday and is scheduled to run until June 19, 2022.

Among the highlights is Warhol’s pink-tinted version of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”.

Warhol was born Andrew Warhola into a Pittsburgh family that emigrated from what is now Slovakia. His Catholic mother Julia, who later moved with him to New York, had a great influence on her son’s life and work.

The Brooklyn Museum, which opened in 1887, is New York’s second-largest exhibition space and houses natural science and ethnological collections, as well as design and art of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.