Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas at ILKON

7th December to 7th Jan 2024

This exhibition looks at the myth and reality of Saint Nicholas through Art in over 20 hand painted icons which contrast sharply with the three steps Andy Warhol made to create his Santa Claus prints.

The icons are from 17th century to 19th century eastern Europe. They were usually painted as an act of devotion with each brush stroke accompanied by prayer. They were not intended to be exact copies and some are quite different which for me adds to the appeal when viewed together. St Nicholas is a popular figure because he was the patron saint of Georgia, Albania, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro. and known as a miracle worker

The Andy Warhol images were by contrast created in an entirely different process for his 1981 Series Myths and Legends. Warhol took a few Polaroid shots from different angles of Macy’s Santa Claus. He selected his favourite and projected the image onto paper which he then traced over to create the basis of the print. He tried different colour versions of the image on trial proofs before selecting the one he preferred and he created 200 identical prints which contrast with the individuality of the Icons.