Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species is the first exhibit in the year-long series of three exhibitions hosted by the High Desert Museum. Drawn entirely from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, the exhibit will include the complete portfolio of Warhol’s Endangered Species (1983) alongside selected highlights from his Marilyn series (1967) and Skull series (1976). A household name and pop icon, Andy Warhol is best known for examining contemporary culture through images of commodification, mortality, and celebrity.

Seen beside Warhol’s most celebrated images of Marilyn Monroe and the ubiquitous symbol of mortality, Skulls, Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species asks visitors to reflect on our need for actionable conservation. The megafauna portrayed in the Endangered Species series finds multiple commonalities with the Marilyn series, asking visitors to examine ideas of posthumous idolization and our own responsibility to the most threatened species.