Andy Warhol
Marilyn Invitation (Castelli Graphics), 1981
Signed in black marker
Offset lithograph in colours, printed text on the reverse as issued
This fabulously bold image of Warhol's most iconic subject was published as the invitation to the exhibition 'Andy Warhol: A Print Retrospective 1963-81', held by the Leo Castelli Gallery.
Most major American artists of the latter 20th century were represented by Castelli at one point or another. He famously exhibited Warhol's 'Campbell's Soup Cans' in 1962 and the 'Flowers' paintings in 1964. Known as one of the greatest publicists of American art, he maintained a close working relationship with Warhol well into the 1980s.
This piece is a miniature reproduction of a work from the very first portfolio of prints made by Warhol's publishing business Factory Additions, set up in 1967. The series contained ten portraits of Marilyn in a variety of colour variations. No other subject in Warhol's oeuvre expresses more elegantly his extraordinary understanding of the power of images, and the complex nature of fame. Simple, flat and seemingly impenetrable, the veneer of glamour conceals darker and more profound truths about the human condition. All of Warhol's images of Monroe were produced after her death in 1962, and each can be considered a memento mori as well as a celebration of timeless star power.
Warhol considered the repetition of images a vital part of his practice. “The more you look at the same exact thing," he said, "the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel."
Most major American artists of the latter 20th century were represented by Castelli at one point or another. He famously exhibited Warhol's 'Campbell's Soup Cans' in 1962 and the 'Flowers' paintings in 1964. Known as one of the greatest publicists of American art, he maintained a close working relationship with Warhol well into the 1980s.
This piece is a miniature reproduction of a work from the very first portfolio of prints made by Warhol's publishing business Factory Additions, set up in 1967. The series contained ten portraits of Marilyn in a variety of colour variations. No other subject in Warhol's oeuvre expresses more elegantly his extraordinary understanding of the power of images, and the complex nature of fame. Simple, flat and seemingly impenetrable, the veneer of glamour conceals darker and more profound truths about the human condition. All of Warhol's images of Monroe were produced after her death in 1962, and each can be considered a memento mori as well as a celebration of timeless star power.
Warhol considered the repetition of images a vital part of his practice. “The more you look at the same exact thing," he said, "the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel."
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January 1, 2023
