Andy Warhol’s early drawings and works on paper were fundamental in the development of his oeuvre and career. Initially overlooked by the fine art world, he was celebrated for his commercial illustrations in the 1940’s and 50’s. Warhol’s first contract was for the September cover of Glamour magazine in 1948, and was followed by a major commission for shoe advertisements with the women’s shoe company I Miller & Sons in 1955, which “made him rich before he launched into pop art.” Warhol’s signature style of commercial illustration was instantly recognizable, and subsequently Warhol “became New York’s most sought-after illustrator of ladies’ accessories.”

Warhol also produced eight self-published artist books between 1953 and 1960, with which he intended to promote his illustration business to potential clients. The imagery in these books drew inspiration from children’s storybooks, historical sources and popular culture. The popularization of French cuisine in New York in the late 1950s inspired Warhol and friend Suzie Frankfurt to create the book Wild Raspberries, which parodies chef August Escoffier’s esteemed Le guide culinaire (1907) and Ingmar Berman’s 1957 film Wild Strawberries.

Warhol moved away from his early drawing and illustration style, consequently declining to exhibit or talk much about his hand-painted pre-Pop works. Despite Warhol’s reticence and the near-disappearance of these early works from the public eye, one cannot deny their importance in the development of Warhol’s mature practice – pulling influence and inspiration from popular culture, these works on paper are as signature Warhol as anything that would follow.