The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce, Slovakia has for the first time publicly reported that two well known canvases had gone missing. The artworks were loaned by the museum to a private individual who has since vanished. The museum houses the largest collection of the Pop artist’s work outside of the main museum in Pittsburgh USA.
A painting of a Campbell’s Soup Can, one of his iconic subjects and a silkscreened Marilyn Monroe image has been missing since March. The museum had not reported the dissappearance until this week. The unnamed person borrowed them, for ‘educational purposes’, filling out the paperwork in a company name. When visited by museum officials to take the work back the offices were empty.
Police investigations have resulted in findings, including previous loans managed with this individual had been done with the man’s company name.. “Given the irregularities in this last loan, authorities have suspended the museum director over the lack of thoroughness that allowed this loan to occur. Veronika Fitzekova, spokeperson for the council in Presov (which runs the museum) added that the director had not been cooperating, which had made the search for contracts and documents regarding the loan difficult”.
The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce houses the second largest collection of Warhol’s artworks, a total of 160. It is located in north-eastern Slovakia in honour of Julia Warhola, his beloved mother, who was born and lived 10 miles from this town.
The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce, Slovakia was established in 1991 by the American family of the artist Andy Warhol and the Slovak Ministry of Culture. Until 1996 AWMMA (the English-language acronym of the museum) was called The Warhol Family Museum of Modern Art.
The museum’s Permanent Exhibition consists of drawings and silkscreens, as well as Warhol memorabilia. Also displayed are works by Andy’s brother Paul Warhol and Paul’s son, James Warhola.