“Silver was the future, it was spacey . . . and silver was also the past–the Silver Screen–Hollywood actresses photographed in silver sets. And maybe more than anything, silver was narcissism–mirrors were backed with silver.” –Andy Warhol, POPism

Andy Warhol: Stars of the Silver Screen exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox takes you back to the 1960’s when Warhol glamorized the Artmosphere. The exhibition is organized by the Andy Warhol Museum presented in partnership with TIFF and runs until January 24, 2016.

Photos by, Ruby Wray

With a personal touch, Stars of the Silver Screen takes you through Andy Warhol’s life–from the early days of his childhood to the height of his fame. In a film starring his mother, Warhol interviews her about food for at least five minutes, which is surprisingly comical. It’s the kind of movie that could be passed off as a home video, but rather, shows the ease Warhol had with his film subjects.

Showcasing the personal collection of Andy Warhol helps you begin to understand his obsession with fame. From photographs of his muses, to artifacts from his favourite works, Warhol kept it all. He had one of the largest collections of Marilyn Monroe photographs, some of which I’ve never seen. He kept all the newspaper clippings from the day after her death with headlines like, “MARILYN DEAD.”

Warhol was enthralled by the vulturous approach the media took to the death of a big name celebrity like Monroe. The insensitivity of repetition was used to make an impact on the reader and Warhol took this idea and made his 24 Marilyns. He screen printed her face 24 times, a little more distorted in each consecutive print, to convey how the media perpetually distorted her image, even after her death. Warhol believed that endlessly replicating your own image changes the way that people see you. He used Monroe’s image to portray different sides of the star while simultaneously making her face eternally iconic. 

Highlights of the exhibition include a wall sized tapestry screen-printed with Warhol’s signature Marilyn Monroe, his original Grace Kelly and the Wicked Witch from Wizard of OZ.

But the real draw? A replica of Warhol’s 1960’s studio, notoriously known as The Factory. In a separate room, the gallery offers a taste of what it was like to live in Warhol’s time. Walls painted in silver metallic, silver vintage ladders, silver fans and an old silver movie camera displayed in a useful fashion. In the center, an identical model of Warhol’s curved red velvet couch, that must have seen a lot of fame in it’s time. The origins of this couch is explained in detail by Warhol in his book POPism, “The huge curved couch that would be photographed so much in the next few years–the hairy red one that we used in so many of our movies–Billy found right out in front of the ‘Y.'”

Billy Name (a psydeunom for William Linich) was a photographer responsible for “silverizing” The Factory for Warhol in 1963. “He bought cans of silver paint and sprayed everything with it, right down to the toilet bowl,” (Warhol POPism).

 An old TV plays a Warhol film in black and white and silver filing cabinets and silver chairs line the room. This is the only part of the exhibition that guests are actually allowed to take photos, so get that selfie while you can! You can sit in “The Factory” and watch Warhol’s screen tests–basically video footage of subjects awkwardly staring into the camera for extended periods of time–sometimes nervous, laughing or tense. Warhol did this to his subjects to make them uncomfortable, yes, but also to try to strip away the facade of the celebrity.  

“Movies were pure fun, art was work.” –Andy Warhol, Popism

Warhol’s approach to filmmaking was experimental nonetheless, but also real in the sense that he just let it happen. A lot of his films were unscripted, sometimes the stars would be like, “What am I doing here?” But that’s what Warhol strived for– for the talent to not act but to just be present. As a visitor to the exhibition, I think that is the most rewarding thing about his films, being able to see old Hollywood celebrities just being who they are, not a character they were trying to portray.

“Hollywood called Pop Art a put-on! Hollywood?? I mean, when you look at the kind of movies they were making then–those were supposed to be real?” –Andy Warhol POPism

Admission to the exhibition is $13 for adults, $10.50 for students with valid ID and $9 for children. The exhibit is free for TIFF members. Buy Tickets Here.