Andy Warhol Open This End 1962 silkscreen ink on linen 16 x 13 in. (40.6 x 33 cm.) Signed and dated "Andy Warhol 1962" on the reverse.
Provenance B.S. Holland, Chicago Galerie 1900-2000, Paris Galerie Beaubourg, Paris Gabrielle Bryers, New York Private Collection Exhibited Tokyo, Galerie Nichido, Leo Castelli's Artists, February 9 - February 19, 1990, then traveled to Nagoya, Galerie Nichido (February 26 - March 5, 1990) Literature Galerie Nichido, Leo Castelli's Artists, exh. cat., Tokyo, 1990, no. 1 (illustrated) G. Frei and N. Printz, The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné Vol. 1: Paintings and Sculpture 1961-1963, Phaidon, 2002, cat. no. 182, p. 157 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay Open this End, 1962, stands alone on the cusp of Andy Warhol's transition from commentator to iconographer. The year 1962 brought a deluge of national attention for the artist, namely for his portrayal of Marilyn Monroe shortly after her death. His work was premiering in two pivotal exhibitions: at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles and at Stable Gallery in New York City. But while many were enraptured with the image of the late star, it was the other works in Warhol's oeuvre that most carefully outlined his Pop Project. Warhol was at the center of the most controversial moment in art history, and the present lot only fanned the flames further. As an embodiment of Warhol's commentary on consumer culture, Open This End, 1962 is ripe for discussion not only for its Duchampian origins, but also for its fabulous sexual suggestiveness, which Warhol would explore further later in his career. Recalling the iconicity of his Campbell's Soup Cans, the severe medium of the present lot stands starkly in the center of the canvas, as though radiating a heat--perhaps hot to the touch. Fate played an important role in Warhol’s artistic process, as we observe the smudges, smears, and unintentional marks that came to be the ubiquitous signs of an authentic Warhol silkscreen. Warhol takes a common phrase, found on canned goods and other marvelously mundane groceries, and elevates it, ultimately granting the brief instruction a life of its own. But we can also see Warhol's wry sense of humor working its mischievous magic, inviting us to question his good intentions. Warhol never provides us with any answers--only paintings. Read More Artist Bio Andy Warhol American • 1928 - 1987 A seminal figure in the Pop Art movement of the early 1960s, Andy Warhol's paintings and screenprints are iconic beyond the scope of Art History, having become universal signifiers of an age. An early career in commercial illustration led to Warhol's appropriation of imagery from American popular culture and insistent concern with the superficial wonder of permanent commodification that yielded a synthesis of word and image, of art and the everyday. Warhol's obsession with creating slick, seemingly mass-produced artworks led him towards the commercial technique of screenprinting, which allowed him to produce large editions of his painted subjects. The clean, mechanical surface and perfect registration of the screenprinting process afforded Warhol a revolutionary absence of authorship that was crucial to the Pop Art manifesto. View More Works
Andy Warhol Open This End 1962 silkscreen ink on linen 16 x 13 in. (40.6 x 33 cm.) Signed and dated "Andy Warhol 1962" on the reverse.
Provenance B.S. Holland, Chicago Galerie 1900-2000, Paris Galerie Beaubourg, Paris Gabrielle Bryers, New York Private Collection Exhibited Tokyo, Galerie Nichido, Leo Castelli's Artists, February 9 - February 19, 1990, then traveled to Nagoya, Galerie Nichido (February 26 - March 5, 1990) Literature Galerie Nichido, Leo Castelli's Artists, exh. cat., Tokyo, 1990, no. 1 (illustrated) G. Frei and N. Printz, The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné Vol. 1: Paintings and Sculpture 1961-1963, Phaidon, 2002, cat. no. 182, p. 157 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay Open this End, 1962, stands alone on the cusp of Andy Warhol's transition from commentator to iconographer. The year 1962 brought a deluge of national attention for the artist, namely for his portrayal of Marilyn Monroe shortly after her death. His work was premiering in two pivotal exhibitions: at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles and at Stable Gallery in New York City. But while many were enraptured with the image of the late star, it was the other works in Warhol's oeuvre that most carefully outlined his Pop Project. Warhol was at the center of the most controversial moment in art history, and the present lot only fanned the flames further. As an embodiment of Warhol's commentary on consumer culture, Open This End, 1962 is ripe for discussion not only for its Duchampian origins, but also for its fabulous sexual suggestiveness, which Warhol would explore further later in his career. Recalling the iconicity of his Campbell's Soup Cans, the severe medium of the present lot stands starkly in the center of the canvas, as though radiating a heat--perhaps hot to the touch. Fate played an important role in Warhol’s artistic process, as we observe the smudges, smears, and unintentional marks that came to be the ubiquitous signs of an authentic Warhol silkscreen. Warhol takes a common phrase, found on canned goods and other marvelously mundane groceries, and elevates it, ultimately granting the brief instruction a life of its own. But we can also see Warhol's wry sense of humor working its mischievous magic, inviting us to question his good intentions. Warhol never provides us with any answers--only paintings. Read More Artist Bio Andy Warhol American • 1928 - 1987 A seminal figure in the Pop Art movement of the early 1960s, Andy Warhol's paintings and screenprints are iconic beyond the scope of Art History, having become universal signifiers of an age. An early career in commercial illustration led to Warhol's appropriation of imagery from American popular culture and insistent concern with the superficial wonder of permanent commodification that yielded a synthesis of word and image, of art and the everyday. Warhol's obsession with creating slick, seemingly mass-produced artworks led him towards the commercial technique of screenprinting, which allowed him to produce large editions of his painted subjects. The clean, mechanical surface and perfect registration of the screenprinting process afforded Warhol a revolutionary absence of authorship that was crucial to the Pop Art manifesto. View More Works
Try LotSearch and its premium features for 7 days - without any costs!
Be notified automatically about new items in upcoming auctions.
Create an alert