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It's out with the Warhols and in with the Steve Penleys at the World of Coca-Cola.

Penley, a popular portrait artist who lives in Carrollton, will have his paintings displayed in the gallery of the Coke museum for the next year. The pieces, some new and some borrowed from various collections, take the place of the Andy Warhol exhibit that has been up since the museum opened a year ago. The Warhol pieces will return to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa.

World of Coca-Cola (ENLARGE)
Steve Penley's 'International Bottle' is among the Carrollton artist's pieces to be displayed at the World of Coca-Cola, as Andy Warhol's works return to Pittsburgh.
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Penley, who is known for his colorful, large-scale paintings, said he has a long-standing relationship with Coca-Cola and has sold paintings to several executives. He said he was thrilled to be asked to display his work at the museum, which is projected to hit 1.2 million visitors by their one-year anniversary May 24.

"They must have run out of ideas for artists," he said, with a laugh. "I'm certainly nowhere near the level of Andy Warhol, but I'll take it."

This exhibit will contain 12 to 15 works, including a 10-foot-by-5-foot depiction of a Coke bottle. The museum plans to feature a different artist in the gallery each year.

— Kirsten Tagami