Davenport, Iowa (June 17, 2021)—Pop Art pioneers Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol, and more take over the Figge Art Museum this summer with Pop Power from Warhol to Koons: Masterworks from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. The newest exhibition to arrive at the Figge features more than 100 works that have never been seen in the Quad Cities before.
An exclusive members-only preview will open the powerhouse exhibition on Friday, June 25 with a special tour given by Jordan D. Schnitzer, who has collected the masterpieces in the show throughout his life. The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, June 26. Advance tickets are encouraged and available at www.figgeartmuseum.org.
“The Pop artists whose works are on display are iconic—women and men whose art has been revered and admired across the globe,” said Michelle Hargrave, executive director and CEO of the Figge. “As we open our museum to full capacity once again, we are so thrilled to offer the Quad Cities an opportunity to see art that will provoke conversations, no matter one’s age. This is an exhibition we are sure will be adored by art enthusiasts and those visiting the Figge for the first time.”
“It is, frankly, a cool and wildly exciting exhibition to welcome our community indoors at the Figge this summer,” she added.
Pop Power from Warhol to Koons features works from the largest private collection of Pop and Neo-Pop in the nation and demonstrates that the Pop aesthetic first imagined in the 1960s is as popular today as ever. It pays tribute to the range of visual art from the serious to the humorous, making the style both revolutionary and accessible.
The works in the exhibition come from the collection of Portland, Oregon-based collector Jordan D. Schnitzer, who has made it his mission to display the art he has acquired to the public. With the show at the Figge, his collection will have had 160 exhibitions at 110 art museums around the country.
“Probably most every person that comes to see this exhibition has seen an image of Warhol or Lichtenstein,” Schnitzer said. “But what they are going to see when they walk into the exhibition at the Figge is an explosion of colors, an avalanche of ideas by some of the greatest contemporary artists of our time. One of my favorite things to do is to walk around a museum on the day the show opens and see the wide eyes and smiles on the faces of patrons as they immerse themselves in the works of these artistic geniuses.”
“It’s a joyful show, and a feast for the eyes,” he added.
“Truly, providing additional funding so museums can make this exhibition accessible to all is one of the great joys of my life,” Schnitzer said. “When we’re young, we are most impressionable. We’re being shaped by our parents, our teachers, our friends, other people in the community—which is no different from the sculptor taking a hunk of clay and shaping it. When guests step into the Figge and see this exhibition, I hope it leaves an impression on every person in the Quad Cities region.”
With grants from the Schnitzer Family Foundation, the Figge will offer free Thursdays at the Figge, including a very special conversation with Chief Curator José Carlos Diaz of the Andy Warhol Museum on Thursday, September 16. In addition, the Figge’s Learn to Look Gallery and Family Activity Center will both offer free opportunities for kids of all ages to create their own artworks inspired by the exhibition.
Pop Power from Warhol to Koons is made possible thanks to a collaboration with Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. The exhibition is organized by the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation and the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia, and has been curated by the late Patrick Shaw Cable, PhD, deputy director of exhibitions and education at the Taubman.
Local support for the exhibition has been provided by Genesis Health System, Sears Seating, US Bank, and Xenotronics Company as well as a media sponsorship with the Quad-City Times.
Tickets are on sale for $10 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for children ages 4-12. Reservations can be made at www.figgeartmuseum.org. The exhibition runs all summer, through September 19, 2021.
##
About the Figge Art Museum:
The Figge Art Museum is dedicated to bringing art and people together. Located on the Mississippi River in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street, the Figge is the premier art exhibition and education facility between Chicago and Des Moines. Its landmark glass building, designed by British architect David Chipperfield, is home to one of the Midwest’s finest art collections and hosts world-class traveling exhibitions, art classes, lectures, and special events that attract visitors of all ages. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; 10am-8pm on Thursdays; and 12pm-5pm on Sundays. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made at www.figgeartmuseum.org or by calling 563-345-6632.
About the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation:
At age 14, Jordan D. Schnitzer bought his first work of art from his mother’s Portland, Oregon contemporary art gallery, evolving into a lifelong avocation as collector. He began collecting contemporary prints and multiples in earnest in 1988. Today, the collection exceeds 19,000 works and includes many of today’s most important contemporary artists. It has grown to be one of the country’s largest private print collections. He generously lends work from his collection to qualified institutions. The Foundation has organized over 110 exhibitions and has had art exhibited at over 160 museums. Mr. Schnitzer is also President of Harsch Investment Properties, a privately owned real estate investment company based in Portland, Oregon, owning and managing office, multi-tenant industrial, multi-family and retail properties in six western states.