Rain and Flowers
12 x 11 inchesRain and Flowers, 1970
12 x 11 inches
frame: 13 1/4 x 12 1/4 inches
edition of unknown size
stamped in purple ink on the reverse "Detail of Construction RAIN AND FLOWERS created by artist ANDY WARHOL working with Cowles Communications Xograph 3-D Division and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as part of Art & Technology project appearing at Osaka 70"
published by Cowles Communications and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on the occasion of Osaka 70
Literature
Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, eds., Andy Warhol 1956-1986: Mirror of his Time, Tokyo, 1996, illustrated on p. 183; M. Wrbican, "Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film," American Masters, pbs.org online content, September 20, 2006
Exhibitions Osaka, United States Pavilion, Expo '70, 1970
Additional Photos
Full Sheet
Stamp verso
Full Sheet verso
In February 1969, Andy Warhol met with Maurice Tuchman and Fine Art Curators from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to collaborate on the seminal Art and Technology project. By June 1969, Andy Warhol was connected with Cowles Communications in New York and contracted with LACMA to create work for A&T, specifically to be exhibited at EXPO 70 in Osaka and then a year later at LACMA.
ANDY WARHOL DAISY WATERFALL (RAIN MACHINE)
In February 1969, Andy Warhol met with Maurice Tuchman and Fine Art Curators from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to collaborate on the seminal Art and Technology project.
By June 1969, Andy Warhol was connected with Cowles Communications in New York and contracted with LACMA to create work for A&T, specifically to be exhibited at EXPO 70 in Osaka and then a year later at LACMA.
"In February 1969, Warhol visited Los Angeles for several days and met with us to investigate corporations. We mentioned to him the notion of working with lasers to make 3-D images and Warhol was distinctly intrigued. At that time, there was an exhibition of self-portrait holograms by Bruce Nauman at Nicholas Wilder Gallery which Warhol saw with us; Warhol seemed quite taken with Nauman's images and this served for us a reference point in visualizing the kind of effect he might pursue."
- Maurice Tuchman: A report on the Art and Technology Program of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1967-1971
In August 1969, Andy Warhol decided to utilize a flower image and repeat it serially with the lenticular photographic process, called ‘Xography’ by Cowles Communications. It was decided to construct the work in New York and transport it to Osaka and Los Angeles. At a meeting in New York in November 1969, Andy Warhol met with the Rain Machine fabricator and Maurice Tuchman. Warhol decided to have five disparate panels, each 4 by 8 feet, to be placed at time of installation. He also wanted two parallel layers of water rather than a single screen. At this meeting, Andy Warhol also decided to simulate rain more crudely rather than having it encased in an aesthetically sophisticated way.
One problem with the Osaka installation was the illusion of depth conveyed by the images was limited to about ten feet. For the LACMA exhibition the following year, Warhol selected a single Daisy image instead of the group of four daisies used previously; this provided a better showcase for the Installation.
