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.