SAINT LAURENT RIVE DROITE Beijing presents Banal Objects, a selection of photographs by Andy Warhol, curated by Anthony Vaccarello, on view from September 22 to November 26. Following its presentation at Saint Laurent Rive Droite Paris earlier this year, the exhibition was most recently presented at the Saint Laurent Seoul flagship on the occasion of Frieze Seoul.
Andy Warhol began his career in advertising before devoting himself entirely to art. He became a central figure in the visual culture of the 1960s, redefining the concept of popular art and celebrity – one of the leading figures of pop art. Although he is mainly known for his silkscreen prints and paintings, Warhol’s photography work, and particularly his Polaroids, remain a fundamental pillar in his creative process, reinstating the artist’s status as the ultimate icon of American Pop.
From the 1960s onwards, Andy Warhol used his Polaroid and 35mm cameras to capture his life and view of the world, producing portraits of celebrities, artists, and figures from art and fashion. His instantaneous and unretouched Polaroids reflect his vision of art as a rapid process and celebrity as an immediate consumer product. This use of photography was not a matter of convenience, but a conceptual extension of his philosophy of art and culture. Through these mechanical tools, Warhol documented every day, banal objects and elevated them to subjects worthy of attention. Rejecting traditional artistic hierarchies, he adopted a democratic gaze in which meaning emerges through repetition, mass production, and collective recognition of consumer culture.
The Banal Objects series, created in the late 1970s, presents photographs of everyday items that Andy Warhol transforms through his artistic vision. By elevating these ordinary objects, Warhol gives them symbolic meaning and challenges traditional ideas of what can be considered art. The use of unaltered Polaroid photographs reinforces a sense of authenticity and directness. Through this approach, Warhol invites viewers to reflect on the aesthetic and cultural value of ordinary items in modern society. The exhibition’s official local partner is SPURS Gallery, China.
All exhibited artworks at Saint Laurent Rive Droite Beijing will be available for sale.
© 2026 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC. / LICENSED BY ARS, NEW YORK.
EXHIBITION DATES:
SAINT LAURENT RIVE DROITE PARIS
23.04.26 - 15.07.26
213 RUE SAINT-HONORÉ, 75001 PARIS
SAINT LAURENT SEOUL FLAGSHIP
31.08.26 - 06.09.26
436 APGUJEONG-RO, GANGNAM-GU, SÉOUL
SAINT LAURENT RIVE DROITE BEIJING
22.09.26 - 26.11.26
N2-18&28&38, TAIKOO LI SANLITUN, CHAOYANG DISTRICT, BEIJING, CHINA