“I never met an animal I didn’t like.”
—Andy WarholAs Warhol worked as a commercial artist in the 1950s, he was surrounded by cats. While difficult to pinpoint exactly when Warhol began an affinity for feline friends, he referred to his pets as early as 1951 or 1952. As the years passed, his cat colony expanded: Interiors magazine reported eight cats in 1953 and ten in 1954; at peak, he was said to have as many 25 cats in the New York apartment he shared with his mother, Julia Warhol. All the cats were Siamese, and all but one – the matriarch, Hester – were named Sam, foreshadowing his emphasis on repetition in his later work.
Hester's death in 1957, due to complications during her surgery to be spayed, crushed Warhol. “My darling Hester,” he wrote, “she went to pussy heaven. And I’ve felt guilty ever since. That’s how we should have started POPism. That’s when I gave up caring. I don’t want to think about it.” His self-published book Holy Cats by Andy Warhol’s Mother (lot 225 in the present sale) was an avenue for Warhol and his mother to process the loss of their beloved cat; the book, which features his mother’s illustrations of cats, angels, and cat-angels, pays its respects to the kitty with the dedication “this book is for my little Hester who left earth for pussy heaven.”
If the death of Hester ushered in Warhol’s infamous attitude of indifference, beginning his preference for a more machine-like style and process, his early 1950s drawings of cats exemplify the whimsical charm that began his career as a commercial artist: with simply masterful lines, contour, and color, these drawings offer a glimpse into the joy and companionship that Warhol’s cats – including sweet Hester – brought to his life as he began to make a name for himself as an artist in New York.
