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SPRING 1964: MOST WANTED MEN AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.
Andy Warhol's Thirteen Most Wanted Men is displayed on the side of the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 Worlds Fair in Flushing Meadow.
The architect who designed the Pavilion was Philip Johnson. He invited various artists, including Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana, John Chamberlain and Andy Warhol to create art for the exterior of the building. (DB181/4)
However, there were objections to Warhol's work from government officials. On April 16, Philip Johnson told Warhol that he had 24 hours to replace or remove the "most wanted men" mural as the governor thought it might be insulting to his Italian constituents because most of the "wanted men" were Italians. (LD198)
Warhol blamed Robert Moses, the city's planner and president of the 1964-65 World's Fair. Warhol proceeded to silkscreen twenty-five identical portraits "of a ferociously smiling Moses" to use as a substitute for the "most wanted men". Philip Johnson rejected the idea, not wishing to offend the festival's president.
Eventually, the "most wanted men" panels remained in place but were covered with a coat of silver paint. (DB181-4)
Although Warhol's mural is often referred to as the Thirteen Most Wanted Men, he referred to it as the Ten Most Wanted Men in his book, Popism.