Vatican to Host Major Andy Warhol Exhibition in 2019

The Vatican Museums have announced a major exhibition dedicated to Andy Warhol, scheduled for 2019 in the Braccio di Carlo Magno space at St. Peter's. Organized in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum, the show will focus on the artist's religious-themed works, including the 1986 series 'The Last Supper,' inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's fresco in Milan. The exhibition comes 39 years after Warhol's historic meeting with Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's. Vatican Museums director Barbara Jatta stated, 'We are very interested in exploring the spiritual side of the artist. It is very important to have a dialogue with contemporary art. We live in a world of images and the Church must be part of this conversation.' The announcement follows the Holy See's confirmation of its participation in the next Venice Architecture Biennale, with a pavilion on San Giorgio Island curated by Francesco Dal Co and promoted by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi. Eleven architects, including Norman Foster, Eduardo Souto de Moura, and Smiljan Radic, will design chapels inspired by Gunnar Asplund's 1920 Woodland Chapel in Stockholm, with potential future reuse of the structures.