“For Warhol, the art of deception, the fun of fooling people, mystifying, hiding, lying—camouflaging, if you will—was a compulsion, a strategy, and a camp.”
—Bob Colacello
Moving beyond depictions of iconic figures, Camouflage of 1987, Warhol’s final print portfolio, contrasted the individuality of his typical portraiture with the uniformity of camouflage. Strongly associated with the armed forces, camouflage’s paradox of being a pattern of disguise that is simultaneously identifiable by the masses may have appealed to Warhol’s sensibilities towards brands and logos. The pattern bears further connotations of masculinity, landscape, and nationality, themes of which Warhol addressed throughout his prolific career in printmaking. In vivid hues of bubblegum pink, kelly green, and dark violet, this unique trial proof for Camouflage boldly sabotages the traditional purpose of the titular pattern, eschewing the typical muted tones of green, brown, and grey. In this subversion, Camouflage is transformed into something ironically conspicuous, obliterating its function.
“If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, there I am.”
—Andy Warhol
Published posthumously, Camouflage further serves as a convenient metaphor for the enigma that was Andy Warhol. Plagued with severe acne and early baldness, Warhol chose to wear makeup and custom-made wigs. He feigned ignorance regarding art history, which he had formally studied since age eleven, and he would lie about where he was from: depending on the journalist who asked him, it was Philadelphia, Cleveland, or Newport, Rhode Island (when really, it was Pittsburgh). Camouflage can thus be viewed as an external projection of his internal insecurities, his very last print portfolio being perhaps one of his most personal.
Continuing Warhol’s legacy and building upon the history of artists designing and modernizing military camouflage garments, fashion designer Stephen Sprouse was permitted to use a print from Warhol’s Camouflage portfolio in his Fall 1987 and Spring 1988 collections of menswear and womenswear, adorning the articles of clothing with Warhol’s vibrant pattern. The collection would be worn prominently by Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry, one of Warhol’s longstanding muses, who would also use an adapted Camouflage print in the UK album art for her 1987 single “In Love with Love.”
