Why I have always caught myself going back to him as my favorite artist of all time;
No one knows exactly why Andy Warhol’s only public work, “13 Most Wanted Men,†was censored fifty years ago this month at the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens, New York. Initial press reports said it was Warhol himself who didn’t like the work. But that was not the case. Yet, no other rationale was offered. The reason remained unspoken – or perhaps, it was simply “unspeakableâ€?
The double-entendre of “Most Wanted Men,†and the way these handsome bad guys gazed at one another, suggested a homoeroticism that would not have been obvious except to those who were following Warhol’s work at the time. Yet, even if that was a reason for the removal of the work, the taboos surrounding any reference to homosexuality would likely have made it impossible to declare this as the official reason.
While I have never felt a desire personally to ‘play for the other team’ I do fully support people who love each other to be happy. Whatever it takes.