Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987). Screenprint on paper from the "Sunset" series, 1972. The present work, depicted with a gold sun on a blue and green background, is one of 632 unique prints created for the Hotel Marquette in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pencil signed and numbered 106/470 along the verso; stamped "Hotel Marquette Prints" along the verso.

Provenance: Printed for the Hotel Marquette, Minneapolis, MN; Lesch Gallery, Minneapolis; Private Minnesota Collection.

Lot Essay:
Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, became a leading figure in the art movement known as Pop Art. As a child, Warhol was frequently kept home from school due to a chronic illness. During this time, Warhol immersed himself drawing and became captivated by the visual culture of the time, surrounded by snapshots of culture and celebrity in comic books, magazines, and commonplace items, laying the foundation for a later fascination with the intersection of artistic expression and commercial success.

Warhol pursued formal art education at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and found initial success as a commercial illustrator in New York City during the 1950s. However, it was in the 1960s that Warhol catapulted to fame with the emergence of Pop Art. His Campbell's Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe portraits, and Coca-Cola bottle paintings became iconic symbols of the movement. Warhol's unique approach drew inspiration from commercialism, mass media, and consumer culture, making him a distinctive voice in the 20th-century art scene alongside contemporaries like Roy Lichtenstein and Jasper Johns. His innovative studios, particularly "The Factory," served as avant-garde hubs of creativity, attracting diverse talents. Here, Warhol embraced screen printing, a technique that allowed for mass production of art. This method became a hallmark of his work, enabling him to blur the boundaries between art and consumer culture.

In 1972, Warhol designed the Sunset series, 632 screenprints of a sunset, for the Hotel Marquette in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With their vivid colors and bold composition, the Sunset prints demonstrated Warhol's ability to elevate mundane subjects into captivating, mass-produced art, embodying his fascination with the intersection of art and commerce. In this particular print, the golden orb, haloed in a soft white, overlaid on a gradient of gray-blue and beige evokes a universality of place and beauty--an aesthetic experience and natural phenomena--that implores the viewer to consider the elemental nature of the scene, while also considering its present form: one among a series 632 similar prints. The Sunset series thus encapsulates Warhol's ability to merge high art with commercial culture while prompting reflection on the deeper implications of our consumer-driven world.

In the decades since his passing in 1987, Andy Warhol’s legacy endures and his impact is evident in contemporary art, where artists continue to draw inspiration from his fusion of art, media, and consumerism. Warhol’s ability to capture the zeitgeist of his era and challenge artistic conventions ensures that his influence remains a lasting force, shaping the trajectory of art and culture well into the 21st century.
Sight; height: 32 3/4 in x width: 32 3/4 in. Framed; height: 40 in x width: 40 in. Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email condition@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.