Joseph Beuys, State II

c. 1979

“Portraits of the 70s” at the Whitney

The Whitney Museum mounted Andy Warhol: Portraits of the 70s, the decade's commissioned portraits, among them Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Agnelli, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein and Mick Jagger. Reviews were mixed: the New York Times critic Hilton Kramer wrote that Warhol's art belonged less to the history of painting than to the history of publicity.

1980

Co-founder of the New York Academy of Art

In 1980 Warhol co-founded the New York Academy of Art, a school devoted to restoring traditional approaches to artistic training. Fellow co-founder Stuart Pivar later observed that Modernism had become boring for Warhol.

early 1980s

The end of his relationship with Jed Johnson

After the end of his relationship with Johnson, his only sustained romantic partnership, Warhol went through depression and significant weight loss. He turned to modelling, signing with the Zoli Agency in 1981 and later being represented by Ford Models.

19 juin 1982 – 28 septembre 1982

Exhibition: documenta 7

by 1984

Allying with younger artists: Basquiat, Haring

By 1984 Warhol had allied himself with prolific younger artists who dominated New York's “bull market” of the 1980s — Julian Schnabel, David Salle and other Neo-Expressionists, and the Transavantgarde artists Francesco Clemente and Enzo Cucchi. He also supported downtown artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Stefano Castronovo.

1985

The show with Basquiat and “Reigning Queens”

In September 1985 the joint Warhol–Basquiat exhibition Paintings opened at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery to negative reviews. That same month, despite his apprehension, his silkscreen series Reigning Queens was shown at the Leo Castelli Gallery.