Andy Warhol - Editions & Works on Paper New York Monday, October 24, 2022 | Phillips
  • "I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want to own." —Andy Warhol


    Commissioned by gallerists and environmental philanthropists Ronald and Frayda Feldman, Andy Warhol turned his iconic pop sensibility toward the natural world, showcasing the lively nobility of ten animals listed in the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Alongside the African Elephant, Warhol depicted the Bald Eagle, Black Rhinoceros, Bighorn Ram, Giant Panda, Grévy’s Zebra, Orangutan, Pine Barrens Tree Frog, San Francisco Silverspot Butterfly, and Siberian Tiger. These vibrant images contrast the grim reality of the dwindling number of each species they represent. Describing the series, the National Museum of Wildlife Art wrote, “Warhol draws attention to the rarity of these animals and gives each the ‘star’ treatment.” Warhol utilized his easily digestible pop style to his advantage, drawing viewers into the work and creating a space for activism.

     

    By placing these animals in the same spotlight he often reserved for celebrities, Warhol helped raise awareness of these endangered animals and funds to aid in their conservation. Warhol printed a special Roman numeral edition of the Endangered Species series aside from the regular edition of 150, which was gifted to wildlife conservation groups. The present example comes from the Galapagos Conservancy, Inc, who received the print in 1983 as a gift from the artist and Ronald Feldman Fine Art via the Smithsonian Institute. The organization is selling this work to aid their mission of protecting and restoring the Galápagos Islands, including over 2,000 species of animals found nowhere else on earth.

    "Warhol employed the same silk-screening process that he used for his celebrity and pop art paintings – paintings that ask us to consider the commodification of fame. In an interesting twist, when Warhol applies this to endangered animals, animals most likely at risk because they sit in the crosshairs between profit and nature, the result is an acute awareness of what we stand to lose – if we don’t pay attention and act on behalf of the environment." —National Museum of Wildlife Art

    • Provenance

      Donated by the artist and Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., to the Smithsonian Institute, directed to the benefit of the Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos Isles (now Galápagos Conservancy), circa July 28, 1983

    • Literature

      Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann 293

    • Catalogue Essay

      Charitable Contribution Deduction Buyers of this lots may be entitled to claim a charitable contribution deduction for the hammer price, but such deduction will be limited to the excess of the hammer price paid for the lot over its fair market value. In accordance with applicable IRS regulations, Phillips has provided a good faith estimate of the fair market value for each lot which is the mean of the pre-sale estimates relating to that lot. Buyers will have until January 24th, 2023, inclusively, to indicate to the Galápagos Conservancy, Inc. of their wish to benefit from this charitable contribution deduction. With respect to Lot 57, buyers may contact Galápagos Conservancy in writing by sending an email to Amy Doherty, Director of Operations, at adoherty@galapagos.org. Bidders are advised to consult with their own tax advisors to determine the application of the tax law to their own specific circumstances and whether a charitable contribution deduction is available. Buyers of all such Lots are advised to discuss their particular tax circumstances with their independent tax advisors, including residency eligibility under applicable laws to determine if a charitable deduction for any lot is available in any jurisdiction outside the United States.

    • 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.

       

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Property Sold to Benefit the Galapagos Conservancy Inc.

57

African Elephant, from Endangered Species (F. & S. 293)

1983
Screenprint in colors, on Lenox Museum Board, the full sheet.
S. 38 x 38 in. (96.5 x 96.5 cm)
Signed and numbered III/X in pencil (from the edition intended for wildlife organizations, the edition was 150 and 30 artist's proofs), published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York (with their and the artist's copyright inkstamp on the reverse), framed.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$60,000 - 90,000 

Sold for $126,000

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Editions & Works on Paper

New York Auction 24 - 26 October 2022