Andy Warhol The Shadow: Available at Andipa Editions

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    Created in 1981, Myths is a portfolio comprising of ten screenprints featuring a series of portraits of figures from the American imagination, ranging from popular children’s cartoon figure Mickey Mouse to the government personification of Uncle Sam and Warhol himself. 

    Created in the final decade of the Warhol's career, the prints are important as they can be seen as the culmination of Warhol’s most principle theme: that of the United States and its relation to commercialism and consumerism.

     

     

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    Warhol’s biography help us to understand his obsession with American culture through a different lens. Though he was born and raised in America, the artist hailed from a poor family of immigrants from modern day Slovakia.

    Like many second-generation children Warhol consumed American culture whilst simultaneously feeling the influence of his other culture.

    He famously stated ‘I come from nowhere’. Yet few could argue that Warhol’s obsession with the U.S was unpatriotic: he has even depicted Uncle Sam in Myths, the ultimate personification of the American government.

     

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    The cult of celebrity and identity are two of Warhol's most recurring themes, which are combined in The Shadow. In his self-portrait, Warhol assumes the role of "The Shadow," a masked vigilante battling crime in 1930s New York and the lead character of an American radio series that ran from 1937 to 1954.

    Although Warhol does not wear The Shadow's black cloak or broad-rimmed hat, the lighting in this self-portrait sketch is such that a large shadow is thrown across his profile. The drawing is based on a photograph of Warhol in this role. Based on this image, Warhol then created a straightforward, stylised line drawing.

    Warhol and his shadow are further separated by the sharp line that divides them; it's almost as if Warhol's identity were divided into two parts, one depicted in an eye catching, bold red and the other in a bleak grey.

     

     

  • Andy Warhol, The Shadow, 1981

    Andy Warhol

    The Shadow, 1981
    Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board with diamond dust
    Framed
    38 x 38 in.
    96.5 x 96.5 cm
    Edition of 200
    £50,000 - £60,000 GBP
    Enquire

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    For more information on The Shadow, The Myths Portfolio and for further Andy Warhol prints for sale, contact sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7589 2371.