Andy Warhol - Evening & Day Editions London Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | Phillips

Create your first list.

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

  • Sat majestically above the serene Alpsee lake, surrounded by dense evergreen forest, the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein is emblematic of the idyllic Bavarian countryside. With its spiralling towers, ivory façade and grandiose scale, the castle has inspired countless tales of magic and romance over the years. Famously, it graced the silver screen as the regal residence of King Stefan in Walt Disney's timeless masterpiece, Sleeping Beauty (1959), and later became the iconic Disney logo. Today, Neuschwanstein reigns as one of Europe's most renowned tourist attractions and has become the most photographed building in Germany. It is no wonder, then, that this instantly recognisable, widely-reproduced symbol of German history and culture captured the imagination of Andy Warhol.

     

    Left: Neuschwanstein Castle. Image: © Album / Alamy Stock Photo 
    Right: "E.Feuchtwanger" Margarine, Munich, circa 1910. Image: © INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo

    Andy Warhol’s Neuschwanstein was commissioned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Bavarian Reinsurance Company in Munich in 1987. The castle was built just over a century earlier when King Ludwig II, who had recently been defeated by Prussia, sought to create a new Bavarian kingdom. He envisioned the enchanting castle of Neuschwanstein sitting at the centre, serving as a residence for the royal family and as a tribute to the renowned composer Richard Wagner. Yet, shortly after the king’s death in 1886, the gates of Neuschwanstein were opened permanently to the public. In 1971, Warhol made a visit to the castle whilst on a trip to Munich for the premiere of his film Trash (1970). Captivated by the fairytale castle, Warhol later requested that his friend, the interior designer Jed Johnson, stencil patterns from Neuschwanstein's interior onto the walls and ceilings of his New York residence. 

    “I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have a fantasy. Everybody must have a fantasy.”
    —Andy Warhol
    Warhol’s Neuschwanstein screenprints transform the historic castle into a twentieth century Pop icon. Using a postcard-style photograph overlaid with bold planes of bright colours and cartoonish outlines, his compositions echo the extensive tourist memorabilia of the castle. The composition also resembles the flat shapes and vivid colours of Disney’s magical fairytale animations. By tapping into the profound historical and cultural significance of this German landmark, coupled with its role as a symbol for an iconic American corporation, Neuschwanstein becomes a captivating fusion of Warhol's fascination with fame, mass media, and icons. In this fantastical reimagining, the castle transcends time and place, envisioning the fairytale kingdom dreamt of by King Ludwig II.

    • Provenance

      Personal copy of the publisher and part of the Archive of Edition Schellmann since time of publication

    • Literature

      see Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann 372
      Jörg Schellmann, ed., Forty Are Better Than One, Munich/New York, 2009, p.353
      Jörg Schellmann, ed., Andy Warhol Unique, Munich/New York, 2014, p. 89

    • 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

Works from the Archive of Edition Schellmann to benefit the Ars Publicata Project

14

Neuschwanstein (see F. & S. 372)

1987
Unique screenprint in colours, on Arches 88 paper, with full margins.
I. 90.1 x 68.1 cm (35 1/2 x 26 3/4 in.)
S. 110 x 77.5 cm (43 1/4 x 30 1/2 in.)

Signed and annotated 'TP' in pencil (one of 25 unnumbered unique colour variant trial proofs, the edition was 100 and 25 artist's proofs), with the artist's copyright inkstamp on the reverse, co-published by Edition Schellmann, Munich and New York, and Maximilian Verlag Sabine Knust, Munich, unframed.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£20,000 - 30,000 

Sold for £33,020

Contact Specialist

Because of technical difficulties our sale is delayed. We should resume soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

EditionsLondon@Phillips.com
+44 20 7318 4024

Rebecca Tooby-Desmond
Specialist, Head of Sale, Editions
rtooby-desmond@phillips.com

Robert Kennan
Head of Editions, Europe
rkennan@phillips.com

Anne Schneider-Wilson
Senior International Specialist, Editions
aschneider-wilson@phillips.com

Louisa Earl
Associate Specialist, Editions
learl@phillips.com
 

Evening & Day Editions

London Auction 17 - 18 January 2024