WARHOL, Andy, Flowers, 1964
The American artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in 1928. There has for years been quite a bit of confusion to where and when … [Read biography »]
Signed Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987), Offset Warhol Lithograph on Paper, Flowers, 1964  |
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| Artist: | Warhol, Andy (1928 - 1987) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Flowers, 1964 |
| Medium: | Offset Warhol Lithograph on Paper |
| Image Size: | 22 in x 22 in (55.88 cm x 55.88 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 23 in x 23 in (58.42 cm x 58.42 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 38 1/4 in x 38 1/8 in (97.16 cm x 96.85 cm) |
| Signed: | Hand signed by Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) in pen in the lower right margin |
| Edition: | From the edition of 300, signed and dated '64 in the lower right |
| Condition: | The work is good condition with colors vibrant and richly saturated |
| Price: Item# 1952 | $SOLD Please visit the rest of our WARHOL inventory » |
| Description: | |
In his innovative and iconic style we find so familiar today, Warhol has transformed this set of 4 poppies into an ingenious creation we could only attribute to as part the Pop Art movement in which he heralded during the 1960s. Flowers, 1964 is part of an edition out of 300 signed and dated works printed by Total Color, New York in 1964. They were published to coincide with an exhibition in honor of Andy Warhol at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York which ran between November 21 – December 17, 1964. These offset lithographs were hand-signed in either pen or pencil and dated ’64 in the lower right margin. The use of poppies came naturally to Warhol as it is documented that he had stumbled across a photograph of them in a botanical catalogue. According to Gerard Melanga, “[Warhol] said, ‘Here, get this made into a silk screen” (Ratcliff 48) . What resulted was a number of gloriously colorful poppies that graced the walls of the Castelli Gallery during the winter of 1964; the choice of a floral subject was perhaps strategic in order to counteract the cold weather of New York City. His use of bright oranges and pinks compliment the lime green and black accents of the print, adding a unique graphic tonality to the overall image distinct of Warhol’s own personal artistic style. Catalogue Raisonné & COA: 1. Feldman, Frayda & Jörg Schellmann. Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962-1987, 3rd ed. Listed and illustrated on pg. 56 as cat. no. 11.6. 2. Feldman, Frayda & Jörg Schellmann. Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1st ed. Listed and illustrated on pg. 34 as cat. no. 6. 3. Ratcliff, Carter. Andy Warhol, 1983. Detailed on pg. 46 and 48 and illustrated on pg. 49 as cat. no. 48. 4. A Masterworks COA will be included with the sale of this piece. About the Framing: | |
Biography of Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)
The American artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in 1928. There has for years been quite a bit of confusion to where and when Andy Warhol was born, but according to Andy's two older brothers and the birth certificate that was filed in Pittsburgh in 1945, he was born on August 6th in Pittsburgh. Whether or not this is the day he was born hasn't been proved, but it was on this date he would celebrate his birthday. However, there is no doubt that he died at 6:31 A.M. on Sunday, February 22nd, 1987, at the New York Hospital after a gallbladder operation. He is considered a founder and major figure of the POP ART movement. A graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949, he moved to New York City and gained success as a commercial artist. He got his first break in August 1949, when Glamour Magazine wanted him to illustrate a feature entitled "Success is a Job in New York". But by accident the credit read "Drawings by Andy Warhol" and that's how Andy dropped the "a" in his last name. He continued doing ads and illustrations and by 1955 he was the most successful and imitated commercial artist in New York. In 1960 he produced the first of his paintings depicting enlarged comic strip images - such as Popeye and Superman - initially for use in a window display. Warhol pioneered the development of the process whereby an enlarged photographic image is transferred to a silk screen that is then placed on a canvas and inked from the back. Each Warhol silkscreen used this technique that enabled him to produce the series of mass-media images - repetitive, yet with slight variations - that he began in 1962. These, incorporating such items as Campbell's Soup cans, dollar bills, Coca-Cola bottles, and the faces of celebrities, can be taken as comments on the banality, harshness, and ambiguity of American culture.
Later in the 1960s, Warhol made a series of experimental films dealing with such ideas as time, boredom, and repetition; they include Sleep (1963), Empire (1964), and The Chelsea Girls (1966). In 1965 he started working with a rockband called "The Velvet Underground" formed by Lou Reed and John Cale. Andy introduced them to the model and moviestar Nico and she sang on their debut album from 1967 "The Velvet Underground and Nico". Andy would travel around the country, not only with The Velvets, but also with superstar of the year Edie Sedgwick and the lightshow "The Exploding Plastic Inevitable".
On June 3rd, 1968, Valerie Solanis, a rejected superstar, came into The Factory and shot Andy three times in the chest. He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead, but after having his chest cut up and been given heart massage, he survived. Valerie Solanis turned herself in that night and was put in a mental institution. She was later given a three year prison sentence. After recovering Andy Warhol continued to work. He founded inter/VIEW magazine in 1969 (they changed the name to Interview in 1971), published The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again in 1975 and continued to paint portraits until his death in 1987.
