A portion of 'Flowers' by Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol is quoted as saying, “In the future everyone will have 15 minutes of fame.” And it’s safe to say his own legacy has greatly surpassed that sliver of time.

The iconic pop artist has created some of the most recognizable art of the 20th century, and for regional Warhol fans and curious observers alike, they will get the chance to see one of the largest collections of his work with “Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends,” currently on display at Union Station in Kansas City.

Through his art career from the 1950s leading up to his death in 1986, Warhol made a name for himself as a painter, printmaker, photographer and filmmaker. He effectively ushered in the pop art movement, rebelling against abstract expressionism and the previous period’s heavy religious and political themes by creating brightly colored screenprints of celebrities and mundane objects.

Christopher Leitch, the exhibit’s installation consultant with an art history degree from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., says Warhol’s work brought a new attitude to art that attracted a new audience.

“I think what he did was democratize art,” Leitch says. “Warhol and his ilk are most responsible for a new kind of inclusion in contemporary art of mediums, of material, of ideas that never really had been welcomed to the table.”

And Warhol used his smarts for art and business, earning scorn from some artists and critics but ultimately increasing his own notoriety.

“He was one of the first contemporary artists, after Picasso, who started merchandising himself in a very accessible way,” Leitch says. “He understood art and commerce go hand-in-hand.”

At the “Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends” exhibit, a collection on loan from Bank of America, guests will get the chance to view 84 of Warhol’s works, including celebrity portraits of Muhammad Ali, Howdy Doody and Uncle Sam along with some of his most recognizable series, like Campbell’s Soup, Myths, Endangered Species, Wildflowers and 10 Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century, portfolios that Leitch says offer a great opportunity.

“It makes them more interesting because you can examine them all as a group,” he says.

Since the exhibit opened on Oct. 2, Susan O’Neil, PR specialist for the exhibit, says they have seen great attendance, partially because this is the only time so much of Warhol’s work has been on display in the Midwest.

“We have a lot of really great pieces that have not been in the area and we have a lot of people taking advantage to see this exhibit for the first time in their own backyard,” O’Neil says.

And while Warhol’s visual style has worked its way into our culture in multiple ways, Leitch says the exhibit will give people an even deeper perspective and appreciation.

“There are some surprises but there is also real gratification that comes from looking at real, three-dimensional works of art,” he says. “There’s no substitute for that.”

“Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends” is on display through Jan. 10 at Union Station, 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $8 to $12. For more information, call (816) 460-2020 or visit www.unionstation.org.