Tag Archives: andy warhol

Andy Warhol’s Birthday

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Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola, was born on August 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Slovakian immigrant parents. Andy was the fourth of five children, his father worked as a construction worker, and his mother was a homemaker and they lived in a working-class neighbourhood in Pittsburgh.

Andy was ‘dogged’ by illness, at the age of eight, he contracted a rare and severe illness called Sydenham’s chorea. This left him bedridden for several months, during which time his mother helped fill his days by giving him drawing lessons, which ignited his passion for art. Andy attended Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, where he demonstrated early artistic talent and where he was recognised and encouraged in these abilities. After graduating in 1945, he went on to study at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh.

After completing his studies in 1949, Andy moved to New York City, where he began his career as a commercial artist and illustrator. He worked for magazines, advertising agencies, and retail stores, quickly gaining recognition for his unique and imaginative art style.

By the late 1950s, he had started experimenting with Fine Art and had begun producing paintings, drawings, and prints. He found his inspiration in everyday objects and popular culture, leading him to create many of the works that would become iconic representations of the Pop Art movement and synonymous with Andy Warhol.

In the 1960s, he established his now famous studio space called “The Factory.” It was a hub for creative collaborations, attracting artists, musicians, writers, and celebrities, alike and it rapidly became a centre for the avant-garde in New York City.

Warhol’s fascination with celebrity culture led him to create portraits of many famous personalities, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Andy Warhol’s creativity extended way beyond painting and drawing and he ventured into film, creating the experimental movies “Chelsea Girls” (1966) and “Empire” (1964), a slow-motion film of the Empire State Building.

Andy Warhol, well known for his contributions to the Pop Art movement and his choice of subjects for his art, was heavily influenced not only by celebrity and popular culture but also brand names, crime and for some reason car crashes. Some of his most famous paintings include the following:

The market for Warhol’s work has existed from day one and interest from buyers is truly international, with his work being sold across the world, where it is both a highlight and a mainstay of all the major and minor auction houses and galleries across the world. His major works continue to change hands for multi-million pound sums and the second and third most expensive Warhol works sold at auction to date are as follows:

Andy Warhol's art and history

Behind the scenes Andy Warhol is just as fascinating, here are a few little known facts about him.

Time Capsules:
Warhol was an avid collector and archivist. He had a fascination with preserving everyday items and created what he called “Time Capsules.” These Time Capsules were essentially cardboard boxes in which he stored various objects such as newspapers, correspondence, photographs, art supplies, and random items from his daily life. Over the years, he filled over 600 of these Time Capsules, which provide a unique insight into his life and the culture of the time.

Religious Devotion:
Despite his flamboyant and controversial public persona, Warhol was a devout Byzantine Catholic. He attended church regularly, and his religious beliefs played a significant role in his life. He even commissioned religious-themed artworks, including several portraits of Jesus Christ.

Art Collector:
Warhol was an enthusiastic art collector and he had his own extensive collection of art, including works by fellow contemporary artists and art pieces from various periods and styles. Following his death, Sotheby’s auction house held a nine-day auction in 1988 where they sold off more than 10,000 items from Warhol’s personal collection, which fetched tens of millions of dollars.

Underground Filmmaker:
As mentioned earlier in this piece Warhol is well-known for his contributions to the visual arts and he was also a pioneer in underground filmmaking. In the 1960s, he produced a series of experimental films that challenged traditional cinematic conventions. One of his most famous films is “Sleep” (1963), which depicts his friend John Giorno sleeping for over five hours. Warhol’s films often explored themes of monotony, voyeurism, and the passage of time.

Wig-Wearing Icon:
Andy Warhol’s signature silver-white wig became an essential part of his public image. He began wearing wigs in the 1960s to create a distinctive look, and it quickly became one of his trademarks. The wig allowed him to transform his appearance and present himself as an enigmatic figure in the art world and popular culture

Cookbook Author:
In 1959, Warhol and his friend Suzie Frankfurt co-authored a quirky and amusing cookbook titled “Wild Raspberries.” The book, which was never intended to be a practical guide to cooking, featured illustrations and handwritten recipes for dishes like “Omelet Greta Garbo” and “Piglet a la Cubist.” This limited edition book is now a highly sought-after collector’s item.

These lesser known facts highlight the diverse and eccentric aspects of Andy Warhol’s life and artistic pursuits. His impact on various forms of art and culture continues to be influential and celebrated to this day.

Throughout his life, Andy Warhol continued to push the boundaries of art, leaving a lasting impact on the art world and popular culture. His early experiences and upbringing shaped his artistic style and many of the themes he explored in his work.

 

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Marilyn Monroe – Shot Sage Blue Marilyn

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She was THE film star of her day, and at the auction on 9th May 2022 at Christie’s New York, she proved that her star power was as strong as ever!

In under four minutes of bidding, Andy Warhol’s 1964 painting of Marilyn Monroe, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, sold for $195,000,000 to an unknown buyer, making it the highest price achieved for any American work of art at auction – comfortably beating the world record of $110,500,000 that Basquiat’s Untitled, 1982 made at a Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2017.

Described as ‘the most significant 20th-century painting to come to auction in a generation’, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one of only 5 works Warhol produced in this series – each in different colour variations.

The paintings were stored at The Factory, his studio on East 47th Street, Manhattan. It was here that the artist, Dorothy Podber, stopped by and asked Warhol if she could “shoot” them. Presuming she meant with a camera, he said yes, but instead she pulled out a revolver and shot all but the turquoise print in the forehead! Warhol had the four paintings restored and they became known as the “Shot Marilyns.”

The work was the undoubted and much-anticipated star lot of the Christie’s Monday sale, which itself kicked off New York’s spring season of mega auctions. As such, it was always going to attract huge interest, eventually selling to Larry Gagosian for an undisclosed client.

The sale itself was made up of 36 lots consigned from the estate of the legendary Swiss dealers Thomas and Doris Ammann, with all of the proceeds going toward their foundation, which supports health care and educational programs for children. Interestingly and very old school in approach, none of the works were backed by financial guarantees, which is a system whereby the auction houses provide sellers with a minimum price at which a third party or the auction house has committed to purchase the work even if it fails to sell on the day.

Perhaps a risky approach one might think, however, after 2 years of pent-up demand from collectors, and with huge amounts of money sloshing around, and with such star works on offer, it was a risk well worth taking, with the overall sale achieving $318,000,000 for the Ammann charitable foundation. Lucky them!

It all goes to show that quality will always win out, and the best works will always achieve the strongest prices. That said, having Marilyn on your side can’t hurt either!

Investing in Warhol Is Investing in Art History

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By Ben Hanly, Modern and Contemporary Art Specialist

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“Investing in Warhol Is Investing in Art History” (Eric Shiner, Andy Warhol Museum)
The appeal of Andy Warhol’s work is universal and enduring, and it has been the bedrock of the Post War/Contemporary art market for decades, fuelled by his global fame and the rich supply of work. Not surprisingly, his images which were drawn so strongly from popular culture, have come to define our understanding of contemporary art and culture since the 1970s. The art of Warhol is now so mainstream and so inextricably linked to our visual vocabulary that it is impossible not to be familiar with it.

Contemporary art without Warhol is unthinkable, and this influence and popularity is reflected in the strength of his commercial market which has continued to rise on an upward trajectory since his death in 1987.
In many ways the Warhol market defies traditional market rules where perceived wisdom suggests that market strength is linked to the tension between supply and demand – where a limited supply exists, strong prices usually follow. Paradoxically, the opposite is true with Warhol who was a hugely prolific artist. In 1963, Gerald Malanga introduced Warhol to the hitherto commercial technique of silk-screening which he went on to use throughout his career to produce large numbers of canvases produced in various series, as well as extensive numbers of limited-edition prints.

Normally this would be a recipe for commercial disaster. However, with Warhol it turned out to be a strength. Warhol’s notoriety brought him global fame and this coupled with the easy accessibility of his images which have become icons of our time, has meant that there has always been a strong demand for Warhol’s work. The fact that the large supply of works on offer at any one time to collectors has encouraged a very buoyant and vigorous trading market for the artist. Similarly, the fact that collectors can enter his market at varying price points has been very helpful in developing Warhol’s market.

Even today, it is possible to buy a good Warhol limited edition print for as little as £25,000. Whilst this figure might not be exactly small change, it does represent extremely good value and a very attractive entry point level for new collectors entering the market of such an iconic artist. It is hard to believe that a Warhol Campbell’s Soup Can print can be bought at auction for a little as $35,000. The word ‘iconic’ is often used too freely these days, but in this case the use of the word is fully deserved. Warhol’s soup can imagery is truly iconic and for many people it represents what modern art is, so to be able to acquire such an important piece of art history for a relatively accessible price is remarkable.

At the other end of his market, Warhol’s major canvases can make staggering sums of money – such as his 1963 Silver Car Crash which made $105m at Sotheby’s in 2013; or his Triple Elvis, also from 1963, which made $82m the following year in 2014. It is not surprising that Warhol’s highest prices have been for his seminal early paintings – here rarity and uniqueness come into play as far fewer works were produced in the early 1960s than in later years, and all of them created with much more hands-on involvement from the Artist himself. It was only in the late 1960s/1970s that Warhol’s studio, his now famous Factory, came into full swing and started to produce large numbers of works with an ever-increasing supply of assistants and helpers. The early works from the 1960s are, therefore, pure Warhol and they are the truly iconic images which were to make Warhol’s reputation – his Soup Cans, Marilyn, Elvis, Jackie Kennedy etc.

A market as diverse and large as Warhol’s performs differently at its different price levels; prints perform differently to canvases, which in turn perform differently depending on date and quality. Clearly the masterworks will always be avidly sought after by major clients and achieve huge prices. However, it is the overall stability and buoyancy that is astonishing with the Warhol market across all sectors.
It is true to say that the value of Andy Warhol’s artwork—despite a brief dip in the 1990s—has been on an endless upward trajectory, and they continue to offer a secure investment opportunity to all levels of collectors. It should be noted that in 2014 alone the value of the international Warhol market sold at auction accounted for $570m – this figure accounted for more than a sixth of the global art market!
Warhol may have famously said that everyone has their 5 minutes of fame, but it appears that thirty-three years after his own death, Warhol’s artwork has a much longer lasting appeal to collectors!