"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.