Warhol prints are a fun
and relatively inexpensive way for young and new collectors to begin their
collections. It is also a good training ground, as you can explore and test
different theories of collecting in rapid time: do you wish to go broad, deep
or specific?
Broad would be collecting
all different types of prints; deep would be collecting thematically, e.g.
world leaders; specific would be going in to particular images and their
variations, e.g. Chairman Mao.
1st Dibs has
numerous prints for sale right now, and we have curated our recommendations
based upon a broad strategy of focusing on world leaders.
Warhol’s portraits of
Queen Elizabeth II was part of his reigning queen series and was developed from
a photograph taken of the queen in 1977 during her silver jubilee. The series
also included portraits of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Ntombi Twala
of Swaziland and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Warhol’s portrait of Elizabeth
II is about as iconic as it gets, and whether you focus on creating a
collection of world leaders or not, it should still be a staple of your
collection.
Not unlike artists have
done of late for President Obama’s campaigns, Warhol created the original Vote
McGovern image in order to raise funds for George McGovern’s campaign against
Richard Nixon in 1972. But rather than produce a flattering image of McGovern (like
he did for Jimmy Carter) Warhol created an unflattering image of his candidate’s
opponent, and clarified his position by scrawling on the bottom: “Vote McGovern”.
Andy
Warhol’s portrait of the Russian political leader, Vladimir Lenin, diverges
from many of the conventions that seem to define Warhol’s oeuvre. In this
piece, Lenin is set against a deep red backdrop, with minimal lines, only
employed to distinguish his face and hand. The print lacks the contrast and
details that characterize so many of Warhol’s prints. The only aspect of the
print that is not enveloped by the solid block of a deep, crimson red is the
yellow of Lenin’s face and hand and the gray of his collar and armrest. The
lack of extraneous detail and color deters the viewer from focusing on anything
else other than the face of the communist maverick who is one of the most
notable political figures of the 20th century.
Andy
Warhol created this green and blue version of Mao Zedong for his 1972 portfolio
featuring the former Chairman of the Communist party of China. Reminiscent of
the artist’s celebrity portraits, Warhol puts a pop art twist on the image of
totalitarian propaganda by depicting Mao in bold vivid colors typical of his
celebrity portraiture. In Mao 90, Andy depicted the Chinese ruler with a
flamboyant blue face and light pink lips in make-up-like fashion. The subject
stands out against the bright green background and the screen print is decorated
with black squiggly lines, used to demonstrate the cult of celebrity that
surrounded the Communist Chairman. The images are a sharp contrast to the
Communist ideologies Mao represented, which rejected individualism. Andy Warhol
took this juxtaposition further by creating the portraits of Mao Zedong in ten
different color variations, typical of the pop artist’s method of repetition.
