Valued Species: Animals in the Art of Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei
June 5, 2021 - October 3, 2021
Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei are two incredibly familiar names in art who have both created series depicting animals. In this exhibit, the National Museum of Wildlife Art combines Warhol’s Endangered Species series from the Museum’s permanent collection with Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac (2018) series, which consists of twelve Chinese zodiac animal portraits made of thousands of colorful, plastic bricks.
Together, the unique, kaleidoscopic interpretations of real and magical creatures offer a comparative look at the similarities between the two iconic artists, with accompanying narratives that bring into question how we value both animals
and art.
Andy Warhol y Ai Weiwei son dos de los artistas multimedia más influyentes de los siglos XX y XXI. A pesar de las diferencias entre sus orígenes, épocas y enfoques artísticos, existen conexiones significativas entre las filosofías y la obra de ambos artistas.
Ambos artistas fueron activistas y amantes de los animales y, cada uno en su época, creó una serie de obras que representan animales salvajes. Aunque se enmarcan en narrativas muy diversas, sus obras llaman la atención sobre la relación que la humanidad guarda con el arte y el mundo natural. El National Museum of Wildlife Art se complace en reunir la serie Especies en peligro de extinción (1983) de Andy Warhol, parte de la colección permanente del Museo, y la serie Zodíaco LEGO® (2018) de Ai Weiwei, préstamo de un coleccionista privado. Le invitamos a explorar, disfrutar, contemplar e inspirarse a través de la obra de estos dos artistas innovadores.
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Staff Picks
Through May 10, 2026Curating this exhibit has been an exercise in collaboration, which is one of our core values at the Museum. We began by asking each staff member to make a short list of some of their favorite works in the collection. Then, the curatorial team took them to see a few of those pieces. We asked the staff to look for artworks that were not already on display and would not be part of any upcoming exhibitions. A person’s taste in art is so uniquely personal and individual to who they are. This exhibition is not only an opportunity for you to get to know our staff, but it is also a chance to discover new pieces in the permanent collection—or perhaps to see old favorites in a new light.
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Two of a Kind?
Through April 26, 2026This exhibition is an exercise in comparison. It invites visitors to consider pairs of artworks, drawn primarily from the Museum’s permanent collection, and contemplate the question posed by its title: are these artworks truly Two of a Kind?
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