Temperatures rose to a scorching 39°C in the beautiful city of Krakow in Poland, the day of the vernissage of the exhibition Andy Warhol: Od linii do legendy (Andy Warhol, From Line to Legend). I have given in loan a nearly complete collection of Warhol record covers, rare magazines from the early Fifties and even a tiny skirt with Warhol’s perfume bottles design. I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this great show, that can be visited until September 27th, 2026. Venue of the exhibition is the iconic Pałac Sztuki (Palace of Arts), a monumental Art Nouveau building and one of the city’s cultural landmarks.

At a press conference curator of the exhibition Wojtek Piotr Onak (W P Onak) explained the title: “We live in an era where almost anyone with a smartphone can wake up famous, and the algorithm gives out recognition faster than anyone can earn it. However, if anyone can have 15 minutes of fame today, as Warhol predicted in 1968, why does the legend still happen to so few? (…) We all know Warhol the legend: a wig, Marilyn, a can of soup. The Krakow exhibition starts earlier – with the hand leading the line. The legend did not happen to Warhol, he built it. Line by line, cover by cover, repetition by repetition. In a culture that promises fame in one day, the story of twenty years of working on oneself sounds almost revolutionary. (…) Warhol was the first to understand that each of us will one day become our own image, a personal brand.”

In fact, at the exhibition you can ask Andy Warhol yourself about all this, through an interactive AI installation inspired by Andy Warhol’s thoughts. Just pick up the phone and say or ask what you want. Artificial Andy will answer. Pretty cool, but there is a waiting line!

Instead of just listing all works and objects W P Onak has managed to assemnble to fill the complete first floor of the Palace of Arts, I will let the photos speak for themselves. Of course the first pictures will be from my record collection.