8. Vesuvius. Lucio Amelio e Napoli. 1975 - 1985

In 1985, eighteen unique screen prints from the Vesuvius cycle go on show at the Museo di Capodimonte. Warhol takes the iconic image of the volcano seen from the Gulf of Naples and pushes it into Pop territory, trading the quiet romanticism of the 19th century Scuola di Posillipo for neon and raw energy.His relationship with Naples, built over years alongside gallerist Lucio Amelio from 1976 onwards, drew him towards subjects charged with emotional weight: the volcano, ever-present and unpredictable, and the front page of Il Mattino carrying the headline Fate Presto in the aftermath of the Irpinia earthquake. Nature's violence and social violence converge, and Warhol fixes both in print: from deep, unrelenting black through to the full overexposure of the printing screen.