Prints
See also : Ancient prints Rembrandt Modern prints Prints by Munch Picasso 1907-1931 Prints by Picasso Prints by Warhol
Chronology : 1650-1659 1896 1930 1947
Chronology : 1650-1659 1896 1930 1947
1655 The Art of Dry Point
2018 SOLD for £ 2.65M including premium
The greatest painters such as Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya and Munch also wanted to create images. In 1653 Rembrandt manages to enlarge the format of his prints.
His solutions are innovative. The dry point was used until then in addition to etching and chisel for minor reworks of the drawing. Rembrandt attempts compositions entirely in dry point. Applied obliquely like a pencil, his needle improves the variety of the line. The incision of the point in the copper is shallow, allowing a harmony between the drawing and the inkings left voluntarily on the plate to bring contrasts and shadows.
A fine image deserves a great paper. Rembrandt was seduced by a stock recently imported in Amsterdam by the Dutch East India Company, with a beautiful light brown-yellow hue and a fibre that does not absorb ink and provides a sharpness comparable to vellum.
His first masterpiece in these improved techniques is The Three Crosses (Christ crucified between the two thieves), 38 x 45 cm, made in 1653. He prepares shortly after in the same size another scene of the Passion, Ecce Homo (Christ presented to the people). The oriental paper is smaller than his copperplate and he adds a narrow extra stripe at the top of the image.
An impression of the first state of Ecce Homo is for sale by Christie's in London on July 5, lot 22. The press release of April 30 announces an estimate in the region of US $ 3M to 5M. It is the only copy remaining in private hands from the first four states of this image.
The copper plates wear out, preventing large printing. The artist deliberately blurs some damaged areas of Ecce Homo after its fourth state. The eighth and last state is dated 1655. For the fourth and penultimate state of the Three Crosses around 1661, he works differently, replacing the subtle smoky contrasts by diagonal streaks.
This solution could not satisfy the artist because of the painstaking preparation of the ink shades and of the necessarily incomplete and frustrating repairs to the worn plates. He will not reuse this technique, giving up the possible project of a dry point series on the Passion of Christ.
His solutions are innovative. The dry point was used until then in addition to etching and chisel for minor reworks of the drawing. Rembrandt attempts compositions entirely in dry point. Applied obliquely like a pencil, his needle improves the variety of the line. The incision of the point in the copper is shallow, allowing a harmony between the drawing and the inkings left voluntarily on the plate to bring contrasts and shadows.
A fine image deserves a great paper. Rembrandt was seduced by a stock recently imported in Amsterdam by the Dutch East India Company, with a beautiful light brown-yellow hue and a fibre that does not absorb ink and provides a sharpness comparable to vellum.
His first masterpiece in these improved techniques is The Three Crosses (Christ crucified between the two thieves), 38 x 45 cm, made in 1653. He prepares shortly after in the same size another scene of the Passion, Ecce Homo (Christ presented to the people). The oriental paper is smaller than his copperplate and he adds a narrow extra stripe at the top of the image.
An impression of the first state of Ecce Homo is for sale by Christie's in London on July 5, lot 22. The press release of April 30 announces an estimate in the region of US $ 3M to 5M. It is the only copy remaining in private hands from the first four states of this image.
The copper plates wear out, preventing large printing. The artist deliberately blurs some damaged areas of Ecce Homo after its fourth state. The eighth and last state is dated 1655. For the fourth and penultimate state of the Three Crosses around 1661, he works differently, replacing the subtle smoky contrasts by diagonal streaks.
This solution could not satisfy the artist because of the painstaking preparation of the ink shades and of the necessarily incomplete and frustrating repairs to the worn plates. He will not reuse this technique, giving up the possible project of a dry point series on the Passion of Christ.
Rare Rembrandt Print at Christie’s London in July https://t.co/99TSYVaBkp pic.twitter.com/wwG1KoLWE4
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) May 2, 2018
1795 Large Color Print by William Blake
2004 SOLD for $ 3.9M including premium by Sotheby's
narrated in 2020
From his childhood and throughout his life, William Blake claims to have visions of God and the Angels. To please the archangels, he writes poems on the other world, illustrated in hand-colored engravings. That world shelters the dead, with whom he also communicates.
Of modest origin, son of a hosier, he follows an original path, wishing the union of all religions, in hostile reaction against the philosophers of Reason. To prepare his illuminated books, he develops in 1788 a technique of relief etching.
In 1795 Blake is tempted by using engraving techniques for images in larger format. He takes up twelve themes from his previous works, inspired by the Bible, Shakespeare and Milton, without forgetting the famous figures of Newton and Nebuchadnezzar. This set is known as the Large Color Prints. He reworked the finishing of several prints around 1805.
For this series he is preparing his drawings on gessoed cardboard, with perhaps one exception on copper. Each matrix can be used two to four times. The technique was not documented in period, but these images should not be assimilated to monotypes. The watercoloring is often very different between works from the same matrix.
The total surviving production for the 12 themes is 30 copies, three of which are in private hands. On May 5, 2004, Sotheby's sold a Large color print for $ 3.9M including premium, lot 5. Its theme of Good and Evil Angels struggling for possession of a child is inspired from Swedenborg. This image 44 x 58 cm is vividly colored.
Of modest origin, son of a hosier, he follows an original path, wishing the union of all religions, in hostile reaction against the philosophers of Reason. To prepare his illuminated books, he develops in 1788 a technique of relief etching.
In 1795 Blake is tempted by using engraving techniques for images in larger format. He takes up twelve themes from his previous works, inspired by the Bible, Shakespeare and Milton, without forgetting the famous figures of Newton and Nebuchadnezzar. This set is known as the Large Color Prints. He reworked the finishing of several prints around 1805.
For this series he is preparing his drawings on gessoed cardboard, with perhaps one exception on copper. Each matrix can be used two to four times. The technique was not documented in period, but these images should not be assimilated to monotypes. The watercoloring is often very different between works from the same matrix.
The total surviving production for the 12 themes is 30 copies, three of which are in private hands. On May 5, 2004, Sotheby's sold a Large color print for $ 3.9M including premium, lot 5. Its theme of Good and Evil Angels struggling for possession of a child is inspired from Swedenborg. This image 44 x 58 cm is vividly colored.
1896 Loneliness on Beach
2013 SOLD 2.13 M£ including premium
In Paris in 1891, Edvard Munch meditates on the human condition. He is deeply influenced by the art of Gauguin, where the stylization of drawing and the simplification of colors provide an unprecedented strength to the message.
Threatened by melancholy, Munch starts at that time one of his most personal themes, loneliness. A couple is on the beach, but they are quite distant from one another and their mental solitude is complete. This first painting is lost.
In 1896, he comes back to Paris where he perfects his experiences of all printmaking techniques. Aquatint gives the possibility to vary the balance of colors from one copy to another of the same image. He will soon specialize in lithography and woodcut.
On March 20 in London, Christie's sells an aquatint of the young woman on the beach. Well centered, the lonesome figure turns her back to us as in 1891. She is tall, and her straight attitude in her beautiful white dress shows that she has no other problem than her solitude. The only communication she has with her environment is the wind that plays with her very long hair.
Printed in light blue, brown, gray and pink, this print is estimated £ 500K. The image measures 29 x 22 cm on a 45 x 31 cm sheet. Here is the link to the catalog.
This artwork carried out in eleven copies is very rare on the market. This print comes after a recent de-accessioning. During the Nazi forced sales of 1933, it had been purchased by the institute of which its owner had been the keeper.
POST SALE COMMENT
In its great simplicity, this image is one of the most iconic of the engraved work of Munch. The aquatint was sold £ 2.13 million including premium.
The day before, a later print of that scene of loneliness with both characters including the same young woman was sold £ 990K including premium by Sotheby's.
Threatened by melancholy, Munch starts at that time one of his most personal themes, loneliness. A couple is on the beach, but they are quite distant from one another and their mental solitude is complete. This first painting is lost.
In 1896, he comes back to Paris where he perfects his experiences of all printmaking techniques. Aquatint gives the possibility to vary the balance of colors from one copy to another of the same image. He will soon specialize in lithography and woodcut.
On March 20 in London, Christie's sells an aquatint of the young woman on the beach. Well centered, the lonesome figure turns her back to us as in 1891. She is tall, and her straight attitude in her beautiful white dress shows that she has no other problem than her solitude. The only communication she has with her environment is the wind that plays with her very long hair.
Printed in light blue, brown, gray and pink, this print is estimated £ 500K. The image measures 29 x 22 cm on a 45 x 31 cm sheet. Here is the link to the catalog.
This artwork carried out in eleven copies is very rare on the market. This print comes after a recent de-accessioning. During the Nazi forced sales of 1933, it had been purchased by the institute of which its owner had been the keeper.
POST SALE COMMENT
In its great simplicity, this image is one of the most iconic of the engraved work of Munch. The aquatint was sold £ 2.13 million including premium.
The day before, a later print of that scene of loneliness with both characters including the same young woman was sold £ 990K including premium by Sotheby's.
1904 Artist's Life in the Bateau-Lavoir
2012 SOLD 1.95 M£ including premium
The Bateau-Lavoir in Montmartre was an experimental workshop of modern art in which the residents, whose destiny was to become famous artists, met the harsh realities of life.
In 1904, Picasso's blue period ends when he appreciates that the clowns of the circuses cannot escape poverty. Le Repas Frugal (Frugal Meal) is his first trial in his mature period to create and distribute a pathetic and empathetic image with a universal impact. Its technical and emotional success is total.
The 46 x 37 cm images were printed individually by Delâtre on request by the artist, and the exact number is unknown: about 30.
One of them was sold for £ 620K including premium by Christie's on November 30, 2004. Another copy inscribed by Picasso to a friend in December 1904 is estimated £ 1.5 million, for sale by Christie's in London on June 20. Here is the link to the catalog.
Meanwhile, the art market has changed, not only for Picasso: the collectors crave for multiples when they are of excellent quality. A copy of La Femme qui pleure (the Weeping Woman), 1937, was sold $ 5.1 million including premium by Christies' on November 1, 2011.
In addition to its extreme rarity, this first edition has another quality: it is also the most perfect. When Vollard took over the plate and inserted it into the series of Saltimbanques in 1913, he wisely strengthened it by electroplating so that it can support a large quantity of prints.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate of this exceptional print had been correctly targeted. It was sold £ 1.95 million including premium.
In 1904, Picasso's blue period ends when he appreciates that the clowns of the circuses cannot escape poverty. Le Repas Frugal (Frugal Meal) is his first trial in his mature period to create and distribute a pathetic and empathetic image with a universal impact. Its technical and emotional success is total.
The 46 x 37 cm images were printed individually by Delâtre on request by the artist, and the exact number is unknown: about 30.
One of them was sold for £ 620K including premium by Christie's on November 30, 2004. Another copy inscribed by Picasso to a friend in December 1904 is estimated £ 1.5 million, for sale by Christie's in London on June 20. Here is the link to the catalog.
Meanwhile, the art market has changed, not only for Picasso: the collectors crave for multiples when they are of excellent quality. A copy of La Femme qui pleure (the Weeping Woman), 1937, was sold $ 5.1 million including premium by Christies' on November 1, 2011.
In addition to its extreme rarity, this first edition has another quality: it is also the most perfect. When Vollard took over the plate and inserted it into the series of Saltimbanques in 1913, he wisely strengthened it by electroplating so that it can support a large quantity of prints.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate of this exceptional print had been correctly targeted. It was sold £ 1.95 million including premium.
1930-1937 Suite Vollard by Picasso
2019 SOLD for $ 4.8M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1930-1937 La Suite Vollard
2012 SOLD 2.65 MCHF including premium
La Suite Vollard is one of the masterpieces of twentieth century engraving. It comes from an agreement between Pablo Picasso and Ambroise Vollard cleverly obtained by the merchant on a day when the artist wanted to buy paintings to him.
The one hundred prints which constitute this set were prepared from 1930 to 1937. It was a particularly fruitful period for Picasso. His love affair with Marie-Thérèse and his psychological exploration of the theme of the Minotaur brought to his images a carnal eroticism. The theme of the sculptor's studio is also abundant.
The accidental death of Vollard in 1939 stopped the project of publishing while the 310 copies were already printed. Henri Petiet took over the project after the war and tried to get autographs signatures from Picasso, but the complacency of the artist was not unlimited. Few sets were signed, and very few also have not been dismantled.
The copy for sale on June 15 by Galerie Kornfeld in Bern is complete, and all prints have been signed by Picasso. Ten of them are numbered 8/15 by the artist, assessing that they were among the 15 copies that Picasso had begun to sign during the lifetime of Vollard.
Even better: this is one of 50 copies with wide margins, on paper 38 x 50 cm. The paper size of the 260 other copies is smaller: 34 x 44.5 cm. This exceptional lot is estimated CHF 1.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The description in the catalogue showed convincingly that this complete set was of exceptional quality. The result is excellent: CHF 2.3 million before fees, 2.65 million after calculating the premium announced by the auction house.
The one hundred prints which constitute this set were prepared from 1930 to 1937. It was a particularly fruitful period for Picasso. His love affair with Marie-Thérèse and his psychological exploration of the theme of the Minotaur brought to his images a carnal eroticism. The theme of the sculptor's studio is also abundant.
The accidental death of Vollard in 1939 stopped the project of publishing while the 310 copies were already printed. Henri Petiet took over the project after the war and tried to get autographs signatures from Picasso, but the complacency of the artist was not unlimited. Few sets were signed, and very few also have not been dismantled.
The copy for sale on June 15 by Galerie Kornfeld in Bern is complete, and all prints have been signed by Picasso. Ten of them are numbered 8/15 by the artist, assessing that they were among the 15 copies that Picasso had begun to sign during the lifetime of Vollard.
Even better: this is one of 50 copies with wide margins, on paper 38 x 50 cm. The paper size of the 260 other copies is smaller: 34 x 44.5 cm. This exceptional lot is estimated CHF 1.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The description in the catalogue showed convincingly that this complete set was of exceptional quality. The result is excellent: CHF 2.3 million before fees, 2.65 million after calculating the premium announced by the auction house.
1937 La Femme qui pleure I, print by Picasso
2011 SOLD for $ 5.1M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1937 The Seventh State of the Weeping Woman
2014 SOLD 3.2 M£ including premium
Guernica and the Weeping Woman are inseparable.
In May 1937 Picasso designed the different elements of his large mural commissioned by the Spanish Republican government for the pavilion of the Universal Exhibition of Paris. He chose the unsustainable theme of the bombing of Guernica.
In the immediate following of this creative process, he starts to execute drawings and paintings of the Weeping Woman. This woman who has the facial features of Dora did not appear in the mural. She is an outside witness of the horror of Guernica.
During a single day, July 1, Picasso executed seven consecutive printed states of La Femme qui pleure, 69 x 49 cm on 77 x 57 cm sheet size. Satisfied by the third and by the last state, he printed and numbered fifteen copies each from both of them.
The number 8/15 from the third state was sold for $ 2.6 million including premium at Christie's on November 5, 2013.
The development is significant between the third and seventh state. The lines become darker and stronger, especially in the hair. More important : the mouth begins to close, transforming into rage the distress of the woman.
The seventh and final state of La Femme qui pleure I, so designated to differentiate it from a later work, is the masterpiece of modern printmaking. Number 3/15 was sold for $ 5.1 million including premium by Christie's on November 1, 2011 over a lower estimate of $ 1.5 M.
Number 8/15 of the seventh state is estimated £ 1.2 million, for sale by Sotheby 's in London on February 5, lot 19 in the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
La Femme qui pleure I in its seventh state is confirmed as the most outstanding print of the twentieth century. This example was sold for £ 3.2 million including premium.
In May 1937 Picasso designed the different elements of his large mural commissioned by the Spanish Republican government for the pavilion of the Universal Exhibition of Paris. He chose the unsustainable theme of the bombing of Guernica.
In the immediate following of this creative process, he starts to execute drawings and paintings of the Weeping Woman. This woman who has the facial features of Dora did not appear in the mural. She is an outside witness of the horror of Guernica.
During a single day, July 1, Picasso executed seven consecutive printed states of La Femme qui pleure, 69 x 49 cm on 77 x 57 cm sheet size. Satisfied by the third and by the last state, he printed and numbered fifteen copies each from both of them.
The number 8/15 from the third state was sold for $ 2.6 million including premium at Christie's on November 5, 2013.
The development is significant between the third and seventh state. The lines become darker and stronger, especially in the hair. More important : the mouth begins to close, transforming into rage the distress of the woman.
The seventh and final state of La Femme qui pleure I, so designated to differentiate it from a later work, is the masterpiece of modern printmaking. Number 3/15 was sold for $ 5.1 million including premium by Christie's on November 1, 2011 over a lower estimate of $ 1.5 M.
Number 8/15 of the seventh state is estimated £ 1.2 million, for sale by Sotheby 's in London on February 5, lot 19 in the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
La Femme qui pleure I in its seventh state is confirmed as the most outstanding print of the twentieth century. This example was sold for £ 3.2 million including premium.
1937 Dora's Scream
2015 SOLD for $ 4.6M including premium
Picasso's sensitivity is exacerbated in 1937. The softness of Marie- Thérèse is no more sufficient to provide him the ideal vision of the woman. He successfully tries to refuse the divorce requested by Olga. His new muse met in the previous year, Dora, active, aggressive, politically engaged, has another behavior.
Pablo said later that Dora always symbolized for him the weeping woman, basically meaning the suffering woman. She thus became a model for the mater dolorosa, understood by the artist as an attitude ranging from a passive sentimentality to an activist rage against oppression.
Dora accompanies the gradual creation of Guernica and produces a photographic report of the preparation of the artwork. A crying woman could be a candidate to enter this terrible scene. Picasso gives up, probably after appreciating that the image of victimized women based on Marie-Thérèse will better reinforce his political message on the horror of war.
On July 1, 1937, Pablo executes in a single day seven successive states of the engraving of La femme qui pleure I. The third and seventh state are printed in fifteen copies each, 69 x 49 cm on 77 x 57 cm sheet.
In this seventh and final state, the rage expressed by Dora joins the intensity of the message of Guernica. The simultaneous conception of both themes is a consequence of the excitement of Pablo, unbalanced altogether by the rape of his anti-war feelings and his unprecedented issues with women.
The seventh state is the most outstanding print in auction history. The number 3/15 was sold for $ 5.1 million including premium by Christie's on November 1, 2011. The 8/15 previously discussed in this column was sold for £ 3.2 million including premium by Sotheby's on February 5, 2014. The number 11/15 is estimated $ 4M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 14, lot 5C.
Pablo said later that Dora always symbolized for him the weeping woman, basically meaning the suffering woman. She thus became a model for the mater dolorosa, understood by the artist as an attitude ranging from a passive sentimentality to an activist rage against oppression.
Dora accompanies the gradual creation of Guernica and produces a photographic report of the preparation of the artwork. A crying woman could be a candidate to enter this terrible scene. Picasso gives up, probably after appreciating that the image of victimized women based on Marie-Thérèse will better reinforce his political message on the horror of war.
On July 1, 1937, Pablo executes in a single day seven successive states of the engraving of La femme qui pleure I. The third and seventh state are printed in fifteen copies each, 69 x 49 cm on 77 x 57 cm sheet.
In this seventh and final state, the rage expressed by Dora joins the intensity of the message of Guernica. The simultaneous conception of both themes is a consequence of the excitement of Pablo, unbalanced altogether by the rape of his anti-war feelings and his unprecedented issues with women.
The seventh state is the most outstanding print in auction history. The number 3/15 was sold for $ 5.1 million including premium by Christie's on November 1, 2011. The 8/15 previously discussed in this column was sold for £ 3.2 million including premium by Sotheby's on February 5, 2014. The number 11/15 is estimated $ 4M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 14, lot 5C.
1946-1947 Océanie - la Mer by Matisse
2011 SOLD for £ 2.95M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2018 before the sale of another copy by Sotheby's (see below)
Henri Matisse is seriously ill but has not lost his manual skill. The Jazz project started for Tériade in 1943, based on cut-off papers, maintains his creativity.
The beige walls of his apartment in Montparnasse remind him of the color of the beaches in Tahiti. He cuts in a white paper the stylized forms that his assistant Lydia pins on the wall. His aim is to create two tapestry cartoons forming pendants, Océanie - le ciel and Océanie - la mer, respectively populated with birds and fish.
In 1946 while Matisse was busy on this project Zika Ascher came to visit Paris. A fashion designer based since 1942 in London, Ascher usually works with Henry Moore. He now wants to edit a series of scarves prepared by a plurality of artists. Almost all of them including Matisse respond favorably.
Ascher also convinces Matisse to print his Océanie. Matisse is very demanding but Ascher manages to find a linen cloth and a pigment that exactly replicate the texture and sand color of the wall. The artist's attention to the sand anticipates by two decades Agnes Martin's escape in the desert.
Both artworks were edited in 1946-1947 in thirty copies each in an image format around 163 x 373 cm.
The Fondation Beyeler owns the pair 4/30. The number 26/30 of La Mer was sold by Christie's for £ 2.95M including premium on June 21, 2011 over a lower estimate of £ 500K, lot 16. It was then coming directly from the Beyeler estate after having belonged to the Matisse family.
The copy 20/30 of La Mer was sold for $ 1.22M including premium by Sotheby's on April 26, 2018, lot 15.
The beige walls of his apartment in Montparnasse remind him of the color of the beaches in Tahiti. He cuts in a white paper the stylized forms that his assistant Lydia pins on the wall. His aim is to create two tapestry cartoons forming pendants, Océanie - le ciel and Océanie - la mer, respectively populated with birds and fish.
In 1946 while Matisse was busy on this project Zika Ascher came to visit Paris. A fashion designer based since 1942 in London, Ascher usually works with Henry Moore. He now wants to edit a series of scarves prepared by a plurality of artists. Almost all of them including Matisse respond favorably.
Ascher also convinces Matisse to print his Océanie. Matisse is very demanding but Ascher manages to find a linen cloth and a pigment that exactly replicate the texture and sand color of the wall. The artist's attention to the sand anticipates by two decades Agnes Martin's escape in the desert.
Both artworks were edited in 1946-1947 in thirty copies each in an image format around 163 x 373 cm.
The Fondation Beyeler owns the pair 4/30. The number 26/30 of La Mer was sold by Christie's for £ 2.95M including premium on June 21, 2011 over a lower estimate of £ 500K, lot 16. It was then coming directly from the Beyeler estate after having belonged to the Matisse family.
The copy 20/30 of La Mer was sold for $ 1.22M including premium by Sotheby's on April 26, 2018, lot 15.
1967 Marilyn by Warhol
2021 SOLD for $ 3.05M by Sotheby's
The method used by Andy Warhol of mixing painting and silkscreen on canvas was effective for the multiplication of images. However there is much more simple and the solution has been known for centuries : printing on paper. He coined the name Factory Additions as the publisher of his prints.
The first released set is Marilyn, in 1967, in a single format 91 x 91 cm. The set of ten is made of the single image reappropriated from a 1953 film advertisement that Andy had famously used in 1962 as the symbol of the demise of the American dream.
Each one of the ten images displays other combinations of intense flat colors, departing various moods from the original glamorous image. Andy also enhanced the emotional effects by changing the alignment of some screens.
The Marilyn set was edited in 250 copies numbered 1 to 250 and 26 artist's proofs numbered A to Z.
The complete set 100/250 was sold for $ 3.05M from a lower estimate of $ 2M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2021, lot 126. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The framed prints were hanging since 1969 in the apartment of their first owner. She had purchased it directly to Andy's associate David Whitney, who had overseen the production of the prints and had selected most of the colors. They are in very good condition with vibrant colors.
The first released set is Marilyn, in 1967, in a single format 91 x 91 cm. The set of ten is made of the single image reappropriated from a 1953 film advertisement that Andy had famously used in 1962 as the symbol of the demise of the American dream.
Each one of the ten images displays other combinations of intense flat colors, departing various moods from the original glamorous image. Andy also enhanced the emotional effects by changing the alignment of some screens.
The Marilyn set was edited in 250 copies numbered 1 to 250 and 26 artist's proofs numbered A to Z.
The complete set 100/250 was sold for $ 3.05M from a lower estimate of $ 2M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2021, lot 126. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The framed prints were hanging since 1969 in the apartment of their first owner. She had purchased it directly to Andy's associate David Whitney, who had overseen the production of the prints and had selected most of the colors. They are in very good condition with vibrant colors.
1983 Made-Up Animals
2021 SOLD for £ 2.9M including premium
After the Athletes series of canvases started in 1977, the prints edited by Andy Warhol entered a new phase. Each portfolio still consists of ten prints in a unique format, but the set covers a theme with images different from each other. Colors may vary from one copy to another. An example is the Myths series from 1981.
At the instigation of an activist, Warhol publishes a series on the Endangered Species in 1983, in 150 copies 96 x 96 cm plus 30 artist's proofs. He also paints canvases with the same images. The animals are chosen from among the most spectacular species protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
The playful effect is more obvious than for the other series. Warhol enjoys making up his new stars with pop colors as he had done in the past with Marilyn and Mao. Most are copies of photographs, but the giant panda recaptures the stylized graphics of the artist's early days, when he was directly influenced by advertising art.
The set 32/150 was sold for $ 530K including premium by Christie's on October 27, 2010. The 103/150 was sold for $ 725K including premium by Heritage on October 28, 2015. The 125/150 is estimated £ 350K for sale by Sotheby's in London on March 17, lot 84. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Warhol's contribution to preserving biodiversity does not stop there. In 1986 a book titled Vanishing Animals is illustrated by him with colored drawings. The selected species are less famous but just as threatened as the Endangered Species.
At the instigation of an activist, Warhol publishes a series on the Endangered Species in 1983, in 150 copies 96 x 96 cm plus 30 artist's proofs. He also paints canvases with the same images. The animals are chosen from among the most spectacular species protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
The playful effect is more obvious than for the other series. Warhol enjoys making up his new stars with pop colors as he had done in the past with Marilyn and Mao. Most are copies of photographs, but the giant panda recaptures the stylized graphics of the artist's early days, when he was directly influenced by advertising art.
The set 32/150 was sold for $ 530K including premium by Christie's on October 27, 2010. The 103/150 was sold for $ 725K including premium by Heritage on October 28, 2015. The 125/150 is estimated £ 350K for sale by Sotheby's in London on March 17, lot 84. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Warhol's contribution to preserving biodiversity does not stop there. In 1986 a book titled Vanishing Animals is illustrated by him with colored drawings. The selected species are less famous but just as threatened as the Endangered Species.
