Toronto is about to get a shot of Pop Art straight from the epicenter of 20th-century cool. Starting April 10, the city will host a rare and expansive exhibition of Andy Warhol’s most iconic works at Taglialatella Galleries. Titled Andy Warhol: Factory Made, this must-see show runs through May 1 and is completely free to the public — a golden ticket into Warhol’s kaleidoscopic world of celebrity, consumerism, and counterculture.
The exhibit, which was originally staged to acclaim at Taglialatella’s New York location, brings together some of Warhol’s most recognizable images — the soup cans, the Marilyns, the Mao. But it goes further than the familiar. Factory Made dives deep into the creative energy of The Factory, Warhol’s famous Manhattan studio where art, fashion, film, and rebellion collided for over 30 years.
On display will be rare, sought-after editions spanning three decades, including complete portfolios from Warhol’s 1960s Pop canon like Campbell’s Soup Cans (1968) and Flowers (1970), as well as his celebrated silkscreen portrait of Marilyn Monroe (1967), which cemented his status as the high priest of fame. The exhibition also highlights Warhol’s 1985 Ad Series, with sharp and ironic riffs on American branding and pop culture — featuring screenprints of Mobil, Chanel, and even Donald Duck.
But Factory Made isn’t just a greatest-hits showcase — it’s a window into Warhol’s evolving worldview. His political portraiture, including Mao (1972), Lenin (1987), and Myths: Uncle Sam (1981), bridges the gap between politics and pop, suggesting that the distance between a dictator and a movie star may not be as wide as we’d like to think. That ethos reaches its zenith in his Reigning Queens series (1985), where global monarchs like Queen Elizabeth II are transformed into dazzling, Day-Glo icons of glamour and power.
And for those who need a dose of Canadian royalty, the exhibition includes Wayne Gretzky #99 (1984), Warhol’s take on the hockey legend, immortalized in shimmering color and style.
Beyond the canvases and screenprints, Factory Made also includes personal artifacts that bring the artist himself back to life. Warhol’s silver wig, his signature sunglasses — even decades after his death in 1987, these objects radiate the cool, quirky mystique that made him an enduring cultural force. With the backing of Sotheby’s, these intimate relics add another layer of authenticity and allure to the show.
“Warhol came into the art world from the outside,” said Alan Ganev, Managing Partner of Taglialatella Galleries. “This exhibition brings that outsider’s genius right into the heart of Toronto. We want people to see these legendary works up close, to experience the wit, irony, and vision that Warhol delivered in every print and portrait.”
The genius of Warhol was that he didn’t just observe the cultural moment — he manipulated it, exaggerated it, and in many ways, predicted the world we live in today. In an era of selfies, influencers, and 24/7 branding, his prophetic declaration that “everyone will be famous for 15 minutes” has gone from cynical quip to lived reality. Factory Made isn’t just an art show — it’s a mirror held up to our time, and the man holding the mirror is still smirking behind his shades.
Whether you’re a lifelong Warhol devotee or just curious about why a screenprint of soup cans could cause such a stir, this exhibition delivers. It’s loud, it’s bold, it’s uncompromising — just like the artist himself.
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