New exhibit analyzes the Catholic faith of Andy Warhol

This is perhaps most evident in the strong emphasis on Warhol's relationship with his mother. Various Madonnas with children appear throughout the first third of the exhibition, and it is no coincidence this is also when Warhol's relationship with his mother gets discussed. It is impossible to not see Andy and Julia's intimate relationship akin to Jesus and Mary. Between this, a somewhat uncritical look at Warhol's treatment of women and the briefest mention of Warhol's complicated relationship to AIDS, Warhol comes off more as a spotless victim than as a conflicted believer.

Warhol's apotheosis is cemented through the insertion of Richard Avedon's "Andy Warhol, Artist, New York City," on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This larger-than-life photograph shows Warhol's scarred torso not long after he was shot by former collaborator Valerie Solanas in retribution for his mistreatment of her during film projects. The incident is recounted in broad strokes to cast Warhol as a sacrificial lamb to Solanas' radical, feminist rage. Reconstructive surgeries left scars and cavities across Warhol's body, which Avedon captures in dramatic aesthetic. The photograph is arresting. Though the accompanying wall text explicitly avoids any Christ-like connections (referencing St. Sebastian), between the Madonna and Child allusions and lopsided retelling of his feud with Solanas, Warhol seems framed as a scorned prophet.

The reorganization of "Revelation" for the Brooklyn Museum also leaves the final section of the show a little lacking. A loose collection of "What We Worship" features Warhol's "Orange Disaster/Electric Chair," excerpts from the "Race Riot" series, and a selection from the "Dollar Sign" series among leftovers from the exhibition checklist. The section generically laments American obsessions with race, money and death. While these issues are absolutely worth discussing, the way they are presented seems more an afterthought cobbled together from the scraps of a show that — in its original form — holistically incorporated them into other sections. Throughout the show, American and Catholic identities poetically meld into each other; ending the exhibition with a hard pivot to secular culture as distinct from religious culture undoes this work.

The show (both its original and revised forms) misses a valuable opportunity to discuss Byzantine and Roman Catholic visual cultures and how Warhol's work navigates tensions between the two. Byzantine Catholic iconography (an obvious connection to the "iconography" of Warhol's celebrities) is produced through rituals of prayer and meditation and use of precious materials. In contrast, Roman Catholic visual culture prioritizes quick production, simple design and clear messaging. Given Warhol's fascination with reproduction, repetition and commodification, it would have been interesting for "Revelation" to demonstrate more nuance with an acknowledgment of how these contrasting histories play into Warhol's work. Great pivot pieces for this conversation such as Warhol's "Eggs" series might have helped, but unfortunately they were not included at the Brooklyn Museum.

Despite its shortcomings, in "Revelation" Warhol's work and American Catholicism also emerge as more complicated and profound than before.

"Revelation" is a thought-provoking foray into a new kind of Warhol. The show strikes an appropriate balance of being accessible for those unfamiliar with Catholic culture and extensive enough to get Catholics thinking critically about lived experiences of faith.