Sometimes the prospect of owning your own piece of art by an acclaimed artist seems slim. Pieces by Andy Warhol for example, have reached astronomical prices at auction time and time again. However, many of his prints remain extremely accessible to collectors who are just starting to build their collection of famous works of art.
MyArtBroker.com has prepared a uniquely helpful guide for anyone who might fancy an original Andy Warhol piece to hang on their living room wall, that doesn’t require the pockets of a billionaire to afford.
It’s still possible to acquire many original Andy Warhol pieces for well under £10k. The 10 following pieces of art are advised as the perfect entry points for anyone looking to start or add to a strong collection of post-war and contemporary art.
A Gold Book was created in a time before the Factory and the celebrities, when Warhol was still making a living as a fashion illustrator and window dresser. Some editions of this are going for as little as £1,000 which makes a perfect first step to a great collection.
See Also: Andy Warhol’s Prince Image Rule Fair Use In Copyright Battle with Photographer
In the Bottom of My Garden is similarly on the lower side of the price spectrum. The book, rendered in pen and ink and coloured with watery pinks and purples is another example of Warhol’s early works. These editions can be found on the market for around £3,500.
An abstract work by Warhol, the UN Stamp, 1959, sees Warhol join the ranks of Picasso and Dali, with this limited edition print to raise funds for the educational programme of the World Federation of the United Nations Associations. This is rare in terms of its style, however it can be found on the market for under £10,000.
See Also: Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe and Aubrey Beardsley to feature in Tate Modern Exhibitions
Others to look for:
Flash, 1968, £4,500–9,000
Made in 1968, Flash is perhaps the most affordable series of prints that encapsulates Warhol’s fascination with celebrities, the media, and tragedy. While his individual prints of JFK and Jackie remain at the higher end of the market, these works, based on newspaper photographs of the president’s assassination in 1963, are more accessible in an edition of 200 at a fraction of the price.
Wild Raspberries, 1959, £3,000–7,000
Named after an Ingmar Bergman film, Wild Raspberries came about as a collaboration between Warhol and his friend Susie Frankfurt who came up with the recipes for this strange and witty cookbook. From Gefilte of Fighting Fish to Baked Hawaii, this early work is sure to delight Warhol fans and epicures alike.
Fish Wallpaper, 1983, £7,000–9,000
Originally intended as the background of Warhol’s Paintings for Children exhibition at the Bruno Bischofberger Gallery in Zürich in 1983, this delightful and elegant work is a lesser known cousin to the artist’s more famous – and less affordable – Cow print.
Committee 2000, 1982, £7,000–10,000
Made in an edition of 2000 this work shows Warhol’s take on the traditional still-life genre, here updated and transformed from art historical trope to vibrant depiction of life at the epicentre of New York’s party scene where nights at Studio 54 turned into days as the party carried on at the Factory.
Mildred Scheel, 1980, £8,000–12,000
One of many portrait commissions Warhol produced in his lifetime, this print of Mildred Scheel was made to raise funds for the German Cancer Society. While it celebrated the famous philanthropist’s work it also represents Warhol’s friendship with Scheel. In contrast with other portraits, here the colours and style are more restrained, perhaps reflecting the seriousness of the cause. With Warhol’s better known portraits selling for more than five times the price, this is the perfect opportunity to own a classic Warhol without the need for a billionaire’s bank balance.
Ladies and Gentlemen, 1975, £9,000–12,000
This series celebrates the drag queens of New York, each one captured in a dramatic pose, whether vogueing or looking wistfully away from the camera. Based on Polaroids he took of the models, Warhol applied bright colours to reflect the flamboyance and unique style of his sitters. With Tate Modern recently using Warhol’s portrait of Wilhemina Ross as one of the main publicity images for their blockbuster retrospective of the artist, now is a good time to invest in this previously underappreciated series.
Saint Apollonia, 1984, £10,000–13,000
A devout catholic and frequent visitor to the dentist, it seems only right that Warhol should choose Piero della Francesca’s Saint Appolonia to appropriate in the screen print medium. Patron saint of dentists, here she is shown holding an extracted tooth, a signifier of her grisly martyrdom, highlighted by the blood red background of Warhol’s version. For less than £15,000 collectors can own a work that while witty and bright on the surface, reveals something of the often hidden depths of the artist’s private life.
See Also: Collecting Warhol and Hirst
Still want more Warhol?
As one of the world’s most famous contemporary artists, there are always exhibitions that will pop up to pay homage to his work.
Silkscreens byBilly Name
The David Hill Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition dedicated to Silkscreens by Warhol’s Factory photographer, Billy Name. It will run from 9th – 20th March.
A slightly different approach to viewing the works of the artist, this promises to display Name’s images from 1964-1968. Considered some of the most important photographic documents of any single artist in history, these images capture Warhol’s most significant period and offer unparalleled insight into Factory Life.
The World of Warhol
The Tate Modern in London will soon be opening its long awaited The World Of Warhol exhibition on the 12th March.
The exhibition will display not only his pop art classics, but also 25 works from his rarely seen Ladies and Gentlemen series. These portraits of black and Latino drag queens and trans women will be on show for the first time in 30 years.
This will also be the first major Warhol retrospective at the Tate Modern for 20 years. It runs until the 6th September.
