Pace-MacGill Gallery enters the diary as a prospective exhibition partner at a moment when Warhol’s stitched-together photographs attracted interest from two galleries at once. The possibility made the choice of venue newly consequential: he had to weigh competing offers against a crowded October schedule and the risk that too much activity at once would invite dismissal.

Interest in the Photographs

In July 1986, Pace-MacGill Gallery and Robert Miller Gallery both wanted to show Warhol’s stitched-together photographs in October. Warhol thought Fred Hughes favored Robert Miller Gallery, but the diary records no final decision. The photographs were being considered alongside other projects, rather than as an isolated exhibition: a show of Piss paintings was planned for Larry Gagosian’s new gallery in the Sandro Chia building on 23rd Street, and a Dia show was also due in October. Faced with that overlap, Warhol considered postponing the photography exhibition.

A Competing Offer

When the Pace-MacGill representative came by, Warhol returned to the unusual fact that two galleries wanted him at the same time and were offering the same things. He compared the situation to having two suitors, framing the gallery approaches as a choice without an obvious advantage. The visit confirmed that Pace-MacGill’s interest was active, but the diary leaves the outcome unresolved; the central tension is between the appeal of being sought by both galleries and the practical problem of fitting another exhibition into an already full season.