The Jewish Museum of Australia might seem like an unlikely location for an Andy Warhol exhibition, unless of course you are familiar with the artist’s 1981 series “Ten Jews of the Twentieth Century.” On show for the first time in Australia, the exhibition “Andy Warhol's Jewish Geniuses” showcases Warhol’s famous portrait series of ten iconic 20th century Jewish figures: Sarah Bernhardt(actress), Louis Brandeis (judge), Martin Buber (philosopher), Albert Einstein  (physicist), Sigmund Freud(neurologist and founding father of psychoanalysis), George Gershwin (composer), Franz Kafka (writer), Golda Meir (4th Prime Minister of Israel), Gertrude Stein (writer), and The Marx Brothers (actors).

The inspiration for “Ten Jews of the Twentieth Century” came from renowned New York art dealer and gallerist Ronald Feldman who was asked by Warhol to come up with ideas for a project that they could work on together. Warhol accepted Feldman’s suggestion of doing ten Jews of the twentieth century, but only after rejecting his first idea of doing ten presidents of the US. The ten Jewish subjects were selected by Feldman and Warhol who said that he chose the final ten because he liked the faces. According to Feldman, it was also of paramount importance to Warhol that the subjects of the works accomplished something in their lives.

According to the Museum, the exhibition “explores Warhol’s creation of the ‘celebrity’ image and his selection process behind his Jewish geniuses. It questions how Warhol depicted the public face of famous personalities, and how we receive the images of these famous Jewish figures today.” In addition to the title series and other works borrowed from a range of international lenders, the Jewish Museum of Australia has curated a new section exploring Warhol’s work in more detail. Adding a distinctly Australian flavor to the exhibition is a number of works borrowed from the NGV and other private lenders, such as Warhol’s 1981 portrait of the late Australian arts benefactor Loti Smorgon.

When the series was first unveiled, Hilton Kramer of the New York Times called the show “vulgar,” said it “reeks of commercialism,” and suggested that “its contribution to art is nil,” adding “The way it exploits its Jewish subjects without showing the slightest grasp of their significance is offensive – or would be, anyway, if the artist had not already treated so many non-Jewish subjects in the same tawdry manner.” In spite of Kramer’s critique, the series was a commercial success. And now 30 years later Australian audiences have the opportunity to see this fantastic series of works which provides a fascinating insight into the mind of the Warhol and his practice.

“Andy Warhol's Jewish Geniuses” is at the Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne until May 24, 2015. It is an exhibition of the Jewish Museum Vienna in cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Australia.