PITTSBURGH, PA.- The Andy Warhol Museum announces the opening of a special exhibitions in September marking the 50th anniversary of a Warhol scandal at the World’s Fair.

The exhibition opened at The Warhol on September 27, 2014.

13 Most Wanted Men: Andy Warhol and the 1964 World’s Fair examines the controversy surrounding Warhol’s work commissioned for the facade of the Fair’s New York State Pavilion, in which the artist chose to enlarge mug shots of criminals. Fearing scandal, officials painted over Warhol’s mural days after it was installed, leaving only a large silver panel visible when the Fair opened.

“The mural was an extraordinarily bold proposal for the pavilion. Warhol was in the early stages of his career and the commission represented a high profile opportunity,” explained Nicholas Chambers, the Milton Fine Curator of Art at The Warhol. “However, rather than propose a Pop subject associated with his practice at that time, such as Campbell’s Soup, he decided to depict a group of criminals wanted by the NYPD.”

The present-day exhibition includes paintings Warhol produced later that year from the same screens used to make the pavilion mural. It also contains documents and ephemera that tell the back-story of the mural and the mystery of its demise.

“The exhibition looks at the material evidence relating to this unique episode in Warhol’s practice. It draws on artworks and archival materials in an attempt to unpack the circumstances surrounding the work’s conception and ultimate censorship,” said Chambers.

13 Most Wanted Men: Andy Warhol and the 1964 World’s Fair was developed collaboratively by The Warhol and the Queens Museum, which is located on the grounds of the New York World’s Fair, about 200 yards from where Warhol’s mural briefly appeared.