DONALD SHERIDAN

HOMAGE TO ANDY WARHOL

March 24th –April 29th

Galleria Gracis is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in Italy by Donald Sheridan (New York, 1950).

Andy Warhol’s very last show was in Milano, Italy, in 1987 at Palazzo Delle Stelline, located within short distance to the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, which hosts Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Encompassing his own interpretation, Andy Warhol embraced the spirit of Leonardo’s masterpiece, which turned into a great tribute, not only to the Master, but also to the Renaissance Period, at-large. The mission of the show is to give a proper voice and exposure to the art and craftsmanship of Donald Sheridan, ultimately to give him a well deserved legacy for his own art.

Donald using the silkscreen process creates his own Mona Lisa variations, finally free of any artistic direction other then his own. The initial idea expands and grows: the medium itself leads to unexpected results as the ink passes through the silk.

The subject repeats itself in a series of unique, fresh and vibrant interpretations of Leonardo’s original version. Donald Sheridan’s “Mona Lisa’s” are first and foremost a tribute to Andy Warhol in the City of Milano, at Galleria Gracis (not as a coincidence, located in close proximity to Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, where The Last Supper is still is today). The Renaissance theme of the celebrated Mona Lisa’s by Donald Sheridan is showcased in Milano, thirty years after, Andy’s last show in the very same City.

The Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” has been one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. Since her creation in 1503, she has become the ultimate pop icon. It is therefore unsurprising, that in 1962, while on a widely successful tour to the USA, Mona Lisa caught the attention of Andy Warhol (the ultimate chronicler of popular culture).
Upon arriving in America, Mona Lisa became a diplomatic catalyzer between France and USA. She was welcomed with all pomp, by no less than president Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline. Andy Warhol captured this particular moment in time and identified the emergence of an nascent age, in which high-art and consumer culture would become intrinsically linked.

Donald Sheridan
Donald Sheridan started his career in the studio of Andy Warhol, reverentially acknowledged as his teacher. In turn, Andy Warhol reverentially acknowledged the talent of his crew, which he consistently solicited for advice throughout his art-making process. Upon entering the Whitney Museum show, “Warhol Portraits of the 70’s” (November 20th, 1979 – January 27th, 1980), with Donald and Rupert, Andy glowed, “What a nice show you boys have done here.” Donald vividly recalls what Andy always said to him and Rupert, “Make them pretty…”
Donald Sheridan sincerely considered himself “the heir” to Andy Warhol’s studio secrets and with gratitude, he dedicates his work “to Andy. Donald Sheridan has been engaged in fine art silkscreen print-making since 1968. In 1977, he began working in the studio of Rupert Jasen Smith, the master printer for Andy Warhol. Donald and Rupert printed Warhol’s works from 1977-1982. By 1982, Donald started printing for Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Poons and many others. We can define the beginning of Donald Sheridan’s career as an artist in 1987, when he took an ad from the New York Post on February 23, 1987, announcing the untimely death of Andy Warhol.
At the time, he produced the first “Post” painting, presented at the famed NYC disco, the Limelight. Years later, in 2006, Wooster Project Gallery, exhibited 27 “Post” paintings, which sold out on opening night. “Post” paintings are currently displayed in 3 museums. Born as a Navy brat, Sheridan studied Psychology in college, worked for the United Nations, but discovered early on that he preferred a more artistic lifestyle. Donald Sheridan has been producing silkscreen prints for Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Poons, Cady Noland, Mark Kostabi, Marylin Mintar, Oliver Mosses, Elaine Sturtevesant, William Wegman, and Christopher Makos, among others. Since 1999, Sheridan has instructed print-making at The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Donald Sheridan’s artistic resume can be found on his website.