New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Pittsburgh’s The Warhol, and the firm MPC are teaming up to digitize hundreds of Warhol’s films.
The films, which number around 500, were made between 1963 and 1972, and currently exist as nearly 1,000 rolls of 16mm film as reported by the Associated Press. The process of scanning all these rolls of film into a digital form will take several years.
Although the films were withdrawn from circulation 40 years ago, they have been preserved and occasionally exhibited at the MoMA since the 1990s as reported in a press statement from the MoMA. According to the MoMA, Warhol’s films are one of the most requested items in their vast film collection.
After the digitalizing process is complete, the public will have access to Warhol’s films in public screenings and other productions focused on the famous Pittsburgh artist. Discussing the importance of this project, Eric Shiner, director of The Warhol, stated that, “Making it possible for curators, scholars, and the public to see Warhol’s total output as a filmmaker for the first time is a major step toward achieving our goals. These films stand alongside Warhol’s greatest works and are as significant as his paintings.”
Well known for his printmaking and painting, during his life Warhol made almost 600 films, in a variety of genres.