A First Look at Lakeside Arts' Brand New Exhibition 'Andy Warhol: Pop Icon'

On January 24th the brand-new exhibition ‘Andy Warhol: Pop Icon’ opened its doors at Lakeside Arts’ Djanogly Gallery in Nottingham. Lucky for us, the Visit Nottinghamshire team was invited to see the brand-new exhibition and experience the magic of the iconic artworks first hand.

Though the weather was slightly grey on the trip across Nottingham, we were expecting to be treated with a burst of visual ecstasy as the doors opened and we stepped inside the gallery.

While waiting for the other guests to arrive, we took our chances and headed out to explore the gallery gift shop. Brimming with beautiful items that reflect their current exhibitions, the gift shop has a wonderful collection of Warhol related products on the shelves, including books, badges and tote bags all featuring his iconic imagery.

Next up on our list was a guided tour of the exhibition with Ashley Gallant, Interim Head of Visual Arts Programme, who took us on a journey of Andy Warhol’s life through his incredible artwork over the years. Walking through the exhibition, you start to understand how fascinating the story of Andy Warhol truly is.

From his childhood introduction to art through his family life, and his ill health to his impact on the art and fashion world in the 50s as a graphic designer and his breakthrough and fight in being recognised as a fine artist – it’s a remarkable story of ups and downs. Through his failures and successes, he continued to do both commercial work and fine art, all the way up until the end of his life. 

The exhibition showcases a range of work from his very first pieces through to his well-known work such as images of Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Warhol himself and icons of American consumerism, all placed in a beautiful range of juxtapositions to emulate his story and desires. 

As we welcome this extraordinary exhibition with open arms, bringing Andy Warhol’s work to our wonderful city not only gives us the opportunity to see his renowned work in the flesh, it also shares the possibilities we all have, the challenges that are there to face and the creativity that can come from very dark places – making something great out of a bad situation. 

Andy Warhol: Pop Icon welcomed us with a wall of colour and opened our eyes to the story behind the artist. We were enthralled by Ashley’s tour and knowledge of Warhol, his work and would encourage you to take some time out of your day to visit this iconic exhibition, whether you’re a fan or not this is something you don’t want to miss!

The exhibition runs from Saturday 24th January until Sunday 19th April 2026 (closed on Mondays), entry to the exhibition is priced at £6 (free for concession), you can get your tickets here. Guided tours of the exhibition are also be available for booking but be quick as spaces are already filling up!  On Wednesday 18 March, Dr Mark Rawlinson, Associate Professor in History of Art, will be holding a talk at Lakeside Arts, exploring photography as central to Andy Warhol's artistic practice (tickets £3.50, free concessions). 

Images by Photographer Simon Litherland