The National Museum of the American Indian appears in Andy Warhol’s diary as the destination for an opening on June 4, 1986. Its crowded show and informal courtyard reception frame a visit that came immediately after a business disagreement, which Warhol chose to put aside rather than let disrupt professional relations.

The Opening

After a dispute at the office with Kent Klineman over the Annie Oakley work and a proposed painting for Patrick Wayne, Warhol rode with Klineman to the museum, traveling up to Broadway and 155th Street. The opening was packed. Warhol described the setting as a courtyard with small buildings and thought the show had been done nicely.

People and Professional Relations

Crazy Matty greeted Warhol at the opening, drinking wine. The scene followed a disagreement in which Warhol objected to being expected to provide a painting for charity as part of securing Patrick Wayne’s permission for a John Wayne-related project. Although he doubted that Fred had agreed to the arrangement and insisted Klineman should handle the matter, Warhol went on to the museum with Klineman and put the argument behind them. The visit thus places the museum within the diary’s account of how business disputes could be followed, almost at once, by an effort to remain friendly.