Ben Birillo (American born 1928)

Next to noted gallerist Leo Castelli, Ben Birillo owned more Pop Art than anyone during the era. Birillo bought and sold such volumes of art through the Castelli Gallery that Castelli often referred to him as the ‘Castelli Annex’. In the early days of Pop Art, he was called 'Mr. Pop Art', often oontemptuously by his peers. Despite criticism from Pop Art’s detractors, Birillo's friendship, creative working relationship with many of his artistic peers, and his penchant for promoting their work led to his involvement building notable collections, including the Leon Kraushar collection, perhaps the most respected private Pop Art collection ever amassed. 

In the early 1960s, lvan Karp approached Ben Birillo and asked him to rescue the Bianchini Gallery as a favor. Thanks to his sizeable collection and his extensive network, Ben brought new artists to the gallery and devised creative ways to exhibit their work. Under Ben Birillo's direction, the Bianchini Gallery began to flourish. 

On October 6"‘, 1964, The American Supermarket opened at New York's Bianchini Gallery, tuming the once failing gallery into a premiere destination. The show, conceived by artist and gallerist Ben Birillo, originally was supposed to be entirely Biri|Io's artwork. However, he decided to contract other artists to use as his palette and create additional objects for his show. This groundbreaking exhibition included works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Artschwager, Robert Watts, Tom Wesselmann, Claes Oldenburg, Billy Apple, and several other contributors. After a successful American debut that gamered media attention from LIFE magazine and The New York Times, The American Supermarket toured Europe, securing Pop Arts reputation both nationally and abroad. 

More than four decades after its premiere, Ben Birillo's innovative work still gamers accolades, including a replica featured in Shopping, Tate Liverpool’s 2002 exhibition, and a Tribute to the Amencan Supermarket at the Warhol Museum in 2003. The unique success of The American Supermarket continues to captivate scholars, academics, and arts patrons today. 

In March 1965, writer John Rublowsky and photographer Ken Heyman published the seminal book on Pop Art. This influential work exposed the world of Pop, profiling the original Pop Artists, their artistic successors, their collectors, and the galleries representing them. The dedication reads: ‘TO BEN BIRILLO whose uncanny and generous eye taught me how to see.‘ 

John Rublowsky is not the only person who credits Ben Birillo for changing his career. In ‘Remembering the American Superrnarket' Dorothy Herzka Lichtenstein credits Ben as a ‘catalyst’ describing him as one of the greatest proponents of Multiples. The 1997 exhibition, The Great American Pop Art Store: Multiples of the Sixties was named after The American Supennarket as a tribute to Birillo's impact. In addition to The American Supermarket (1950, which marked one of the early appearances of Multiples in Pop Art, Birillo was involved in the creation of several other multiples, including the book, Pop Art One. Birillo‘s championing Multiples and Limited Editions led to the appearance of Roy Lichtenstein's sculptural Explosions, Mannequin Heads, and editions of enameled steel, among notable innovations of the era. As was true of his collaborations with Roy Lichtenstein, Ben Birillo partnered in the creation of numerous works and editions with many artists. 

Andy Warhol, the ‘Prince of Pop‘ himself, was another benefactor of Ben's influence. Warhol's famous Shot Marilyn paintings of 1964 were commissioned by Ben Birillo. The following year, Birillo published the first book ever written about Warhol, the catalogue on occasion of Andy Warhol's first solo museum exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, helping to secure Warhol's iconic status. 

By 1978, Birillo received a Papal summons asking him to serve as art advisor to the Vatican as a result of his expertise and extensive knowledge (of Roman, Primitive, Asian, etc. paintings, art and artifact). 

Ben Birillo's influence permeates all layers of our visual culture. Through primary source interviews, commentary, and the creation of new footage, we document and explore the extensive impact of Ben Birillo, artist, collector, gallerist, and his role in shaping a generation, in tum, changing the way we view history. 

Exhibitions:

Museum of Modem Art, Penthouse Exhibition, New York, group show,1959 

Barone Gallery, New York, 1960 one person show 

Museum of Modem Art, Exhibition at the Lending Library, New York, 1960 group show 

Komblee Gallery, New York, 1962 one person show 

C.O.R.E. Show, Martha Jackson Gallery, New Hope, Pennsylvania— group show, 1962 

N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund, Brooklyn Museum —group show, 1963 

Bianchini Gallery, New York, “The American Supermarket Show”. Originally this was to be entirely Birillo’s artwork, then he decided to use/hire artists as his palette to create additional objects for the show as well as include ready made works from a few artists. Birillo included the following people to do work on the show; Bob Watts, James Rosenquist, Tom Wesselman, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Billy Apple, Andy Warhol, Diane lnman , 1964 

Life Magazine, “Art or Not, It ’s Food for Thought”, November l964 

The American Supermarket, Galleria II Segno, Rome, opened March 1965 Pop Art , John Rublowsky and Kenneth Hayman, published 1965. The book is dedicated to Birillo “TO 9 BEN BIRILLO whose uncanny and generous eye taught me to see”. The American Supermarket was “conceived and organized by Ben Birillo, an artist who has been close to the pop art movement since it began 

University of Colorado — group show 1965 

East Hampton Gallery, New York — group show 1965 

A.C.E. Gallery, Provincetown, Mass. -group show 1965 

Ivan Karp’s Gallery, Provincetown, Mass. -group show 1965 

The Supremes and Rock n’ Roll Stars painted by Bob Stanley at Bianchini Birillo Gallery May 1965 

Life Magazine, “You Bought It Now Live With It”, July 1965 

A.F.A. (American Federation of Artists) travelling show, Contemporary Wall Sculpture, by Mr. Daniel Robbins of Guggenheim Museum, group show 1963-65 

“Behind the Brownstone Fronts”, The New York Times, by Barbara Plumb. Published: Sunday, October 13, l968. 

Ricco Johnson Gallery, New York, 1984 -one person show 

James Economos Works of Art, Houston, Texas, 1986 -one person show 

The Embellishment of the Statue of Liberty, New York, 1986, -group show Cooper Hewitt Museum, The Smithsonian lnstitution’s National Museum of Design, and Bamey’s New York. lncluded Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Arman, Robert Rauschenberg, Malcolm Morley, and others. 

Pietra Santa Gallery, New York. “Free Spirits: Contemporary Views of the American Indian in Sculpture and Painting ” Included works by Andy Warhol, I986 

Musee de L’lfan, Senegal, Exposition D ’Art C ontemporain, 1993 

The Great American Pop Art Store: Multiples of the Sixties; Constance Glenn, published 1997, forward by Dorothy Lichtenstein noting Birillo’s contributions to Pop Art 

West Point Military Academy, Studio Six Art Guild, West Point, New York 

Schim Kunsthalle , Frankfurt, Germany “Shopping” incl. tribute to the American Supermarket, 2002 

Tate Museum, Liverpool, England “Shopping” incl. tribute to the American Supermarket, 2003 

Warhol Museum, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Tribute to the American Supennarket-incl dedication to Ben Birillo, 2003 

Treadwell Museum, Treadwell, New York — group show, 2007 . 

Woman: Sacred and Profane, group show, Walter Randel Gallery, New York, 2008 

The Who ’s Who in African Art, Danster Research, African Art Research Center 

Smoke and Steel, one man show, Desmond-Fish Library, Garrison, New York, 2010 

Source: Robyn E. Tisman, Art Historian