Andy Warhol - Editions & Works on Paper New York Tuesday, October 19, 2021 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • 'I always like to work on leftovers, doing the leftover things. Things that were discarded, that everybody knew were no good…' —Andy WarholCommissioned by gallerists and environmental philanthropists Ronald and Frayda Feldman, Warhol turned his characteristically kinetic pop sensibility and propensity for the discarded toward the natural world. Depicting ten endangered species in screenprint, brimming with color and verve, Warhol showcases the lively nobility of animals like the Bald Eagle (lot 78), African Elephant (lot 79), and Pine Barrens Tree Frog (lot 80). These vibrant images contrast the reality of the dwindling number of each species they represent.

     

    When reflecting on death in general Warhol wrote, “I'm so sorry to hear about it. I just thought that things were magic and that it would never happen.” Warhol’s tongue in cheek naiveite enriches our understanding of his artistic treatment of subjects on the brink of extinction; it’s as if his loving depictions are the very magic that might immortalize entire species. Warhol’s 1983 Endangered Species stands out not only as a striking and appealing series in the career of Andy Warhol, but also as a consequential forerunner to contemporary socially engaged art. Since 1983, the bald eagle and Pine Barrens tree frog populations have rebounded remarkably through the work of environmentalists in the United States. However, the African elephant and seven other species depicted in Warhol’s series of prints remain endangered.

    • Literature

      Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann 293

    • Catalogue Essay

      The present work arrives at auction from the collection of the late Dallas-based collectors Sam and Helga Feldman to support the Feldman Foundation, a philanthropic organization supporting various important charities. Committed arts patrons in the Dallas area, the Feldmans offered longstanding support to cultural initiatives in that city and elsewhere. From their early mentorship of then-emerging artist Jean-Michel Basquiat to later support of institutions and organizations including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Feldmans were tireless advocates for the arts and culture. Their longstanding philanthropic support continues today through the Feldman Foundation, which strives to support various important charities in Dallas and elsewhere.

      The seller intends to donate the sale proceeds to the foundation designated in the heading. However, such designation does not provide any tax benefit to the purchaser of this lot.

    • Artist Biography

      Andy Warhol

      American • 1928 - 1987

      Andy Warhol was the leading exponent of the Pop Art movement in the U.S. in the 1960s. Following an early career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol achieved fame with his revolutionary series of silkscreened prints and paintings of familiar objects, such as Campbell's soup tins, and celebrities, such as Marilyn Monroe. Obsessed with popular culture, celebrity and advertising, Warhol created his slick, seemingly mass-produced images of everyday subject matter from his famed Factory studio in New York City. His use of mechanical methods of reproduction, notably the commercial technique of silk screening, wholly revolutionized art-making.

      Working as an artist, but also director and producer, Warhol produced a number of avant-garde films in addition to managing the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground and founding Interview magazine. A central figure in the New York art scene until his untimely death in 1987, Warhol was notably also a mentor to such artists as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

       

      View More Works

Property from the Estate of Sam and Helga Feldman Sold to Benefit the Feldman Foundation, Supporting Various Important Charities

79

Lot offered with No Reserve

African Elephant, from Endangered Species (F. & S. 293)

1983
Screenprint in colors, on Lenox Museum Board, the full sheet.
S. 38 x 38 in. (96.5 x 96.5 cm)
Signed and numbered 122/150 in pencil (there were also 30 artist's proofs), published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York (with their and the artist's copyright inkstamp on the reverse), framed.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$40,000 - 60,000 

Sold for $189,000

Contact Specialist

Editions@phillips.com
212 940 1220

 

Editions & Works on Paper

New York Auction 19-21 October 2021