Yesterday the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh announced a joint project to digitize all of Andy Warhol’s film and video work, including his 60 feature-length movies and his 279 screen tests. The undertaking is projected to a “multi-year project.”

On October 15th, fifteen notable works that have never had public screenings will be presented in Pittsburgh.

According The Art Newspaper,
 

The epic project—there are around 1,000 rolls of films to capture frame by frame, and 4,000 videos—is made possible by the technical expertise and sponsorship of the special effects company MPC. The technology company Adstream will provide digital asset management. The partnership will be a “multi-year project”, according to MoMA’s press statement.

The artist’s films have been cared for by MoMA since the early 1990s, and are among the most requested works in its circulating film library. Fifteen of his films, which have never been screened in public before, have already been digitised by MPC. They are due to be shown in Pittsburgh on 17 October during “Exposed: Songs for Unseen Warhol Films”.

In a statement, Eric Shiner, the director of the Warhol Museum, said the artist’s films “are as significant as his paintings”, adding that the project will mean scholars and the public will be able to see his total output.

 
It’s not stated that the movies will be available online, but we can hope that that is implied. If so, it will be a chance for movies like Chelsea Girls, Bike Boys, Flesh, Lonesome Cowboys, Trash, Since, Blue Movie, Space, Empire, Sleep, Blow Job, and many others to find a new audience (or indeed, in some cases, their first audience).

Here’s a gander at Nico in a clip from I. A Man: