Andy Warhol and five other artists sketched artworks that were miniaturized and sent to the moon on Apollo 12's lunar lander.
In the 1960s, Andy Warhol took the world by storm with his unique “pop art”: a replica of Campbell’s Soup cans, a room full of silver balloons, and silkscreened prints of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean were just a few of his many renowned artworks. These days, Warhol’s prints sell for millions at art auctions—but one piece, in particular, is quite literally out of this world.
In 1969, Warhol and five other artists were involved in the creation of a “moon museum”—a coin-sized ceramic chip with six of the artists’ sketches on it. The chip was likely brought to the moon in the Apollo 12, and left on the lunar lander.
“I thought it was crazy, but now I think it really is up there,” Columbia University historian Gwen Wright told USA Today. Wright is hosting an episode of PBS’ History Detectives dedicated to the topic, which is set to air on June 21st at 9 PM Eastern time.
“For us, at the time, the moon landing was the most exciting thing that ever happened. The artists just wanted to be part of it,“said Forrest “Frosty” Meyers, one of the artists whose work made it into the spacecraft. Along with Warhol, the others featured are Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, David Novros, and John Chamberlain. The artists collaborated with Bell Labs engineers on their “Experiments in Arts and Technology” program, and the engineers shrunk the works down to be displayed on tiny ceramic chips.
Another engineer, going by the pseudonym “John F.,” brought the tiny artwork onto the spacecraft. The show’s producers are hopeful that the show will encourage him to come forward and claim credit for the crafty move.
Apollo 12’s launchpad foreman, Richard Kupczyk, confirms that the “moon museum” is on the lander—along with plenty of other smuggled items. “Apollo was something bigger than life, and we were all part of it,” he said. “We wanted to leave a mark.”
See a video and learn more about the story at PBS’ History Detectives.