Outstanding artworks shown in Nottingham through an Artist Rooms partnership with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland
Saturday 24 January – Sunday 19 April 2026
Launch event: Friday 23 January, 6.30-9.30pm
Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham
£6 (free concessions)
Press preview: Friday 23 January, 11.30am
Lakeside Arts brings a major ARTIST ROOMS exhibition by Pop icon Andy Warhol to Nottingham this spring, offering a rare opportunity to see works by one of the most influential artists of the 20th century outside London. The University of Nottingham’s arts centre, in partnership with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland, presents works by the internationally acclaimed American artist in the Djanogly Gallery.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is an icon of the 20th century. He reimagined what art could be during a period of great social, political and technological change, and his influence can still be felt today. This ambitious exhibition, drawn from the remarkable body of Warhol’s art in the ARTIST ROOMS national collection, features works from across his career. It includes early drawings, painted screenprints and photographs featuring his collaborations with artists, friends, filmmakers and celebrities. Images of Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor and Warhol himself appear alongside icons of American consumerism and symbols of his increasing preoccupation with mortality.
Money, sex, death, power and fame: Warhol’s lifelong fascination with these themes is evident both as a subject, and in the way he challenged the relationship between fine art and commerce. His studio in Manhattan, dubbed The Factory, became a site of mass production, calling into question the nature of art, and the role of the artist. By adopting the mechanical method of silkscreen printing in 1962, Warhol removed physical traces of the artist, coming remarkably close to fulfilling his desire to “be a machine.”
Warhol turned consumer products like Campbell’s Soup, Coca-Cola bottles and dollar bills into unforgettable symbols of modern culture. Stepping into the gallery, visitors will encounter some of Warhol’s most recognisable works presented at a scale and intensity that reproductions can’t capture. Large-scale iconic paintings such as Gun (1981) and Dollar Sign (1981) will be on display, alongside rarely seen early drawings and illustrations from the 1950s; paintings from the 1980s never exhibited in his lifetime; and lesser known ‘stitched photographs’, which formed the basis of his final exhibition before his death.
Lakeside Arts is excited to display iconic Pop works such as his Marilyn series from 1967, electric chairs from his Death and Disaster series, his experimental film portraits Screen Tests made from 1963-66, and drawings of David Hockney and Mick Jagger.
The exhibition showcases Warhol’s interest in consumerism, love, death, and fame alongside a more intimate understanding of his early life and career as a commercial illustrator. It’s a chance to experience works that helped shape contemporary visual culture, experiencing the colour, contrast and charisma that made his art so influential.
ARTIST ROOMS presents the work of international artists in solo exhibitions drawn from a national touring collection jointly owned by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland. Its programme reaches audiences across the UK and is developed through local partnerships.
Ashley Gallant, Interim Head of Visual Arts Programming, Lakeside Arts, said:
“Warhol’s work encourages us to look again at the familiar and reflect on how culture and consumerism shape our lives. At Lakeside Arts, we’re committed to bringing world-class art to our local communities, and it’s a privilege to present an exhibition of this scale and significance in Nottingham.”
Accompanying the Andy Warhol exhibition, Lakeside Arts also presents Alexis Chabala: The Beat Beneath Us, a free exhibition in the Angear Visitor Centre adjacent to the Djanogly Gallery, open Saturday 24 January – Sunday 19 April 2026. Celebrating the pioneers of Funk, Soul, R&B, Hip Hop, Dancehall and Afrobeat(s), it showcases years of photographic work by London-based photographer Alexis Chabala, honouring artists whose influence has shaped global music and culture. Visitors are invited to reflect on the enduring power of Black music and the creative legacy it continues to inspire.
Andy Warhol: Pop Icon can be viewed between Saturday 24 January – Sunday 19 April 2026, with a free launch event on Friday 23 January 6.30-9.30pm. More information at lakesidearts.org.uk/AndyWarhol
Image above:
No Title, Andy Warhol, 1967. Tate, purchased 1971. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. 2025/ Licensed by DACS, London. Photo: Tate
Posted on 20 January 2026
