Branding the Nation or Branding the Self? Andy Warhol’s Self-Portraits at the 1967 World’s Fair

Abstract

During the Cold War, World’s Fairs were the most visible and spectacular part of the ideological confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The paper examines Andy Warhol’s artwork through the prism of the 1967 World’s Fair. Expo 67 was Warhol’s very first appearance on the international cultural scene under the auspices of the U.S. government, which back then was rather skeptical about exhibiting American Pop Art in the name of the American nation and preferred Abstract Expressionism instead. The paper explains why the U.S. government chose to display Warhol’s paintings as part of its official exhibition program in Montreal and what benefits this synergy had for both the U.S. nation-branding strategy and the development of the artist’s personal branding strategy.